Pathogen
by gluegirl56
Summary: When jumping to the Gamma Quadrant in search for one of the seven red signals the Discovery crew gets more than they bargained for and Captain Pike in particular risks his life in more ways than one. Set between S2E11 and S2E12. Revised June 2020, bonuschapter added.
1. To the Unknown

**Star Trek Discovery***

Pathogen

**Chapter One **

_To the Unknown _

Captain Christopher Pike sat behind his desk in his ready room with his elbows on the table-top, his hands entwined loosely together while his chin rested on top. He was miles away in his mind, his eyes unseeing as he stared ahead of him. Michael had found and lost her mother, all in twenty hours, and before that she'd paid the ultimate sacrifice by giving her life up for the cause only to be resurrected by her long-lost mother. He had seen it all; he still did when he closed his eyes. It went against everything he believed in; to sacrifice someone, no matter the stakes. What he had just witnessed and Doctor Burnham's words chilled him to the bone and would continue to do so for a long time.

"_Christopher Pike, USS Enterprise. In temporary command of Discovery-"_ he recalled Doctor Burnham's voice, cold and distant. _"I could tell you more about your future but I don't think you'd like that,"_ she finished in a softer tone.

He shuddered as he thought back upon it, wondering what she'd seen. However, the worst thing wasn't what Doctor Burnham might have indicated about his future but the mission itself and what had taken place at Essof IV.

His skin crawled at the mere thought of a mission, sanctioned by Starfleet, in which the purpose was to sacrifice a life of a very capable and bright young officer under his command. It had seemed so inhuman, so unnecessary, that it had sickened him. His faith in the Fleet, in the entire Federation, had crumpled there and then. The minute Admiral Cornwell had agreed with Burnham to lure the 'Red Angel' to come to them using her, his science officer, as a bait, he'd been ready to hand in his resignation. He'd felt that, if this was what Starfleet had become while the _Enterprise_ had been away, some darker version of the peace keeping and diplomatic organization he had signed on for, then maybe, it was time to leave.

Christopher Pike had encountered many strange species during his first five-year-mission. He'd made a few first contacts that had gone south, he'd lost crewmen and gotten himself injured but he'd also made a lot of friends out there, solved mysteries, mapped large regions of space and seen things he'd never thought existed. During that time the _Enterprise's_ crew had become a tight bunch, they worked like a well-oiled machine. Whatever happened, whatever they'd encountered, they'd dealt with it and moved on. He'd gotten used to not having backup and to rely on his crew and his own experience to get out of sticky situations. Now this, smaller vessel, was different. He'd never felt as lonely back out there in the unknown as he did now back in Federation space onboard the_ Discovery_.

He felt weary of Admiral Cornwell, not sure what had become of her, and he was annoyed at having Leland tracking him all the time. Now, Cornwell had left the _Discovery_ and Leland had taken off at a run which had left Pike utterly confused because the Leland he knew would never flee from anything or anyone. Or was it simply that his old friend left to gather his forces?

"_Captain Pike, please report to sickbay,"_ Bryce's voice suddenly sounded over the general communications channel.

He straightened in his chair and blinked a few times, then he ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He'd asked Doctor Culber to call him immediately if there was any change, for better or for worse, in Ash Tyler's condition.

He got up and walked over to the com unit. "I'm on my way," he said and exited the room.

OOOOOO

Tilly came to a halt just inside the door to their shared quarters and smiled ruefully at Michael's back. Her roommate was curled up on her bed, facing the wall.

The ensign sighed. "How are we going to get back to normal after this?" she said in a subdued voice. "First Lorca, then the mirror universe, Georgiou's evil twin, Saru's transformation, Airiam's death and now this, and what's up with Leland-"

Michael slowly turned around on the bed. "Tilly," she whispered in an effort to get her friend to talk less; to give her some space.

The ensign, however, seemed oblivious to what she so subtly meant.

"Why would Captain Leland go all crazy and try to kill Ash?" she questioned. "I mean-"

At this Burnham sat straight up in bed with a look of concern etched on her face. "Kill Ash? Tilly what's-"

"Oh, sorry I thought you knew already but of course you didn't. I mean you've had enough with your mum and all that-"

"Sylvia!" Michael admonished, momentarily halting the younger woman's rapid monologue. Even though they were good friends Michael rarely used her first name.

"I'm sorry, Michael, I don't know. It was just a rumor I heard. He's been pretty banged up but I'm sure Hugh and Tracy can fix him."

OOOOOO

"Easy," Hugh cautioned. "You're only going to injure yourself further."

"I'm surprised that you care," he wheezed.

"I was out of line in the mess hall, for that I apologize," the doctor replied, managing a somewhat ashamed look.

Tyler chuckled bitterly and groaned as it caused the pain in his side to renew. "You must love this. I mean, I did kill you," he whispered sarcastically in a pain-filled voice.

"I have him, Hugh," Tracy said kindly as she nodded at her friend and colleague. "Take a break."

The senior doctor shook his head and was rewarded with a stern look that left no real room for discussion. He took a step back. "Fine," he mumbled in resignation just as Pike walked through the door.

Even through the haze of pain Tyler was fast to catch on. He spotted the captain immediately as he came into the room. "Sir," he urged and broke into a coughing fit.

The alarms next to his bed went off and Tracy shared a worried look with her superior. He nodded sternly and started to prepare a hypo.

"No-," Tyler managed through the coughs, "-important."

"Just something for the pain," Tracy explained, although it was clear she didn't like it, she'd rather put him into a medically induced sleep.

Tyler grunted.

The captain looked equally unhappy as he walked up the bed that was flanked by a doctor on each side. He came to a stop next to Tracy and nodded at the two medically trained professionals before he turned to Tyler. "It seems Leland ran off with fifty four percent of the data from the sphere the minute we lost Doctor Burnham."

"It's not Leland," Tyler croaked. "Not anymore."

A chill ran down Pike's spine at the words but he gave no outward sign of it. Instead he carefully looked from Tracy to Hugh and then back at Tyler again. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Ash swallowed, his throat raw and dry after the coughing. "'Control' has somehow taken over him. He's dangerous-" he trailed off to take a shallow breath. "He tried to kill me."

Pike considered it sadly for a moment. "Believe me when I say that Captain Leland has never been one of the good guys, Tyler," he replied darkly. "With 'Control' ordering him around I'd not like to encounter him at all if I can avoid it."

"He's after Doctor Burnham, sir. He's going to do anything in his power to find her," Tyler said weakly. "He believes she's a threat to him. We have to stop him."

"She's not his top-priority at the moment. When he finds out that the data transfer isn't complete, we don't have to chase him, he'll come chasing us," Pike deduced unnecessarily.

"And when he does-" Tyler paused to catch his breath and coughed slightly, "-when he does, he's going to come for Michael and Spock-,"

"We'll protect them. I know how he thinks-" Pike began softly.

Ash swallowed. "That's the thing. He's going to hunt you down, sir."

At that Pike pursed his lips into a thin line of displeasure. He nodded at Tyler and glanced at the vitals displayed over his head. "I'll deal with that when the time comes," he assured him. "I think you'll need to rest and recover, Tyler."

Tracy swiftly produced a hypo and quickly emptied its contents through Tyler's jugular. "He'll be out for several hours," she reported.

"Good, by the looks of it, he's going to need it," Pike replied and turned to leave.

"Captain," Hugh began as he took a step away from Tyler's bedside. "If you don't me asking, sir. What are we going to do now?"

Chris shook his head sadly. "About Leland? I'm afraid there is nothing we _can_ do at the moment," he replied kindly. "Before all this happened we had three more red signals to look into. We might as well continue with that."

"She said she didn't know about them," Hugh said as he recalled the conversation he and Paul had had when he'd come back from the planet. "If she doesn't know about them, then what are they?"

Pike gave a cautious shrug. "I'm sorry, I can't help you there, doctor," he offered.

OOOOOO

Although no one voiced their concern, Michael could see it in their eyes as she walked onto the bridge. Neither her captain nor her brother was present so the trip had been for nothing. Saru gave her a nod of acknowledgment and a genuine, warm smile as he turned toward her in the captain's chair.

"Michael, I'm glad to see you, although I thought you'd ended your shift for the day," he said kindly.

"I needed to keep my mind off of things for a while," she let on with a tight smile. "And I was actually looking for the captain."

"There was a general call for him to report to sickbay earlier," Saru explained with a frown. "Didn't you hear that?"

"I- I was occupied in my quarters and had the system on a muted setting," she replied sheepishly.

Saru was about to say something when Pike's voice sounded loud and clear over the com-system. _"This is the captain. All senior department heads please report to my ready room,"_ he said in his usual soft tone of voice yet it held note of authority and urgency that made Saru and Burnham immediately turn to the door.

Within a few minutes eight people were seated around the conference table in the captain's ready room. Commander Michael Burnham, Commander Saru, Doctor Culber, Commander Paul Stamets, Commander Nhan, Spock, Commander Jett Reno filling in for the chief engineer and the captain himself.

"So," Pike began seriously as he clasped his hands together in front of him, his eyes wandering from one officer to another until he'd made eye contact with everyone around the table. "As you're all aware we had to let go of Doctor Burnham and the time suit. We then blew up the facility on the planet and effectively ended the download of the sphere data to Section 31. Unfortunately, Captain Leland still managed to retrieve 54 percent of the files from _Discovery_."

"There is no trace of him anywhere, sir," Nhan reported.

"I know the universe is ridiculously big but the guy can't just disappear," Reno protested while chewing on a gum.

"He will come back," Pike said curtly, effectively ending that discussion before it had even begun.

Reno frowned at the tone of voice from the man opposite her. Pike was not usually the one to tell someone to shut their mouth, not even this polite. He encouraged people to speak their mind. There was something; a warning note in his voice that made her weary and she decided to let him off the hook.

"In the meantime we have other things to do," he said seriously. "Long range sensors recorded a signal from the gamma quadrant. Not much is known about that particular area of space yet. Three years ago, Starfleet Command ordered the _Enterprise_ to pick up a set of probes on a scheduled supply run. We were to travel as close to the gamma quadrant as we dared without compromising our maximum dilithium range and send a message."

Spock leaned forward in his chair and added in an even voice; "Eleven months, ten days and seven hours later, one of the probes that the _Enterprise _dispatched returned. It carried a message on its own."

"It deliberately sought out the _Enterprise_ and it nearly destroyed the ship," Nhan added coldly.

"Admiral Cornwell said they didn't call you back to fight the war-," Michael began with a frown.

"No, they didn't," Pike replied. "After the probe incident and a few months in drydock we set out to investigate a nebula. Let's just say that we had our own private little hell back there. Still, I can't even begin to phantom what you've been through while we were away-," he trailed off sadly and shook his head.

"I'm not so sure, sir, that you faired any better," Saru said diplomatically. "I'm certain you've had your share of insecurities and battles; seen things none of us ever dreamt about."

'_You have no idea,'_ Chris thought bitterly but he didn't voice it, instead he nodded slowly as he felt Nhan's eyes on him. He was pretty sure they both thought back upon Una and her fascinating companion, working as one.

"I have seen the specifications of the _Enterprise._ She's a class one heavy battlecruiser, codenamed Constitution class," Paul began. "It takes a fair amount of pounding to cripple her."

Pike leveled his eyes with Stamets. "Yes," he finally said. "During the probe incident, I lost thirty good people, seventy crewmen got injured, one of the lower decks lost containment and several bulkheads blew. So it did some damage."

Reno gave a low whistle while the rest of them looked somewhat uncomfortable. During his time onboard Christopher Pike had never talked about his own ship and crew. His focus had been entirely on them and the _Discovery_; on building trust and to be a supportive captain.

Culber glanced around the table, feeling somewhat ashamed. Everyone onboard the_ Discovery_ had their demons to fight and he knew Captain Pike had had to work hard on getting their trust and their respect but they had never considered that the captain had endured things equally gruesome to their experiences, although in another way. _Discovery_ could at least jump back into known space using the spore drive, the _Enterprise_ on the other hand could not. The doctor swallowed and turned directly to the captain. "And you, sir, where you one of them?" he asked with concern and elicited a faint upward twitch of Pike's lips.

"I was one of the seventy," he admitted in a subdued voice before quickly changing the subject. "That experience has left me a little weary of the gamma quadrant, which is why I've been hesitant to follow that lead but now I don't see that we have any another choice. We have to follow the signal."

Paul nodded. "I understand. I will get the spore drive up and running," he said as he got out of his chair.

"The sphere archive places the signal's origin from somewhere in the Arax system. It's a smaller solar system not entirely unlike the Sol system," Michael explained. "It was one of the last things Airiam managed to obtain before she-" the commander trailed off and looked at the captain with worry. "Sir, 'control', it must know of the Arax system."

"As far as I know, the ship Leland commands has no way of travelling that distance," Pike replied calmly as if reading her mind. He glanced around the table. "Are we ready to leave within an hour?"

"No problem," Paul replied confidently as he slipped out of the room.

"Are we notifying Admiral Cornwell, sir?" Saru asked curiously as he got out of his chair.

Pike shook his head. "We notify no one of our intentions, Mr. Saru. If Leland is around and can tap into our systems, which I highly doubt, I won't give him a chance to come at us."

"Sounds like a good plan, sir," Reno said positively and sauntered out of the room.

The rest of them soon followed suit, all except Michael.

"Something on your mind, Burnham?" he asked softly as she walked up to him. "Are you all right?"

She nodded and gave him a tight smile. "I will be. It might take some time, but I'll get through this," she reasoned.

Pike smiled back at her, a ghost of a smile but still a smile. "Of that I have absolutely no doubt," he replied.

"How are you doing, sir?" she asked curiously.

He frowned, wondering what she was getting at.

"I heard what my mother said to you about your future," she let on.

He made a face. "I can't worry about my future in all this, Michael, we're on a mission. I'm here because I signed on for it. Why don't we head to the bridge and see just what the future might bring, shall we?" he suggested and gestured for her to follow.

OOOOOO

_To be continued_


	2. The Arrival

**Chapter Two**

_The Arrival_

As the _USS_ _Discovery_ materialized, seemingly out of nowhere, Pike let go of the armrests of his chair. "Cancel Black Alert," he said and let out a faint snort of disbelief as he shook his head.He'd long ago gotten used to the jerking motion the ship made when rematerializing again, but he wasn't so sure he'd ever get his head around the idea that it was possible to travel using the spore drive system. Strangely enough he had a feeling he'd miss that oddity about the vessel when he got back to the larger Constitution class ship which he was originally assigned to command.

"Yes, sir," Saru replied and executed the command.

The captain nodded to his XO and waited for the view screen and external sensors to adjust and adapt to their new environment.

"Wow," Tilly breathed, her mouth wide open as she stared out in space at the bright colors of green, turquoise, yellow and orange that was mixed in different shades. "Look at that," she whispered in awe.

"It's a cloud of dust," Spock remarked simply with an arched eyebrow.

She eyed him from across the bridge, clearly not appreciating his statement. "Geez, thanks, you sure know how to dampen one's spirit," she drawled.

Michael smiled as she glanced at Tilly and then nodded at her brother. "Is that what you call the 'Pillars of Creation' too?" she asked curiously, although there was a faintly teasing undertone to her question that no one failed to notice.

"A nebula is, as you well know, an interstellar cloud of dust. It consists of hydrogen, helium and quite possibly several other types of ionized gasses."

Pike tilted his head slightly and frowned as he turned to his science officer. "When you're done, Mr. Spock,-" he paused and his lips twisted very faintly upwards, "-then maybe we can get back to business."

The Vulcan managed an offended look. "I was just pointing out, captain, that it is nothing to be over-excited about," he said.

The upward curl to Pike's lips morphed into a genuine smile before he turned serious once again.

"I fail to see the reason for your amusement, sir," Spock added.

Pike let it go and wisely chose to ignore the statement. "Detmer, bring us closer to the Arax system, would you?" he ordered softly.

"Yes, sir," she acknowledged.

"The signal originated from the fourth planet in this system," Michael explained as she called up an image, on her smaller screen, back at her station.

Pike turned in his chair to see better, as did Owo, Rhys and Bryce.

"Not from the sky above?" Saru asked curiously.

Michael zoomed in. "No, according to the sphere data the signal originates from somewhere along the southern continent," she replied.

Spock clasped his hands behind his back as he watched the lush planet becoming larger and larger on the view screen. "Fascinating," he remarked.

"Looks like a paradise," Tilly said brightly as she took in the green-tinted areas that seemed to be mixed with blue patches of clear water.

"Careful, Tilly, before you jinx us," Detmer cautioned.

"Lieutenant Detmer, there is no such thing as-" Spock began.

Pike stabbed a finger in his direction. "Now _you've_ jinxed us, Spock," he said lightly. "Mr. Saru, begin a scan of the surface and see what you can find; anytime you're ready."

"Commencing now, sir," the Kelpien replied. "I can confirm it's a Minshara class planet, capable of sustaining life as we know it. However, I can't distinguish any life form recognizable to this configuration of life-sign-detector."

"Keep trying, Mr. Saru," Pike encouraged as he got out of his chair. "Unless you find something that suggests otherwise, I'm going to assume it's safe to beam down a landing party."

"Captain," Michael called. "I wish to take a team-"

Pike shook his head. "No, commander, you should sit this one out. You've had your fair share of adventures for many years to come," he reasoned, recalling how she'd been sitting in that chair back on Essof IV, slowly suffocating to death before his very eyes and involuntarily shuddered.

"You'll take the lead yourself, sir," Saru guessed with a hint of worry in his otherwise even voice.

Pike walked up to stand next to his XO. "I want you to accompany me and Commander Stamets to the surface, Saru. Met me in the transporter room in ten minutes," he said and turned to leave. "Commander Burnham will continue the scan."

Despite having been preoccupied, studying the readings fed to science station by the various instruments of the ship, Spock had heard enough of what had been said between the captain and the commander to be concerned. He quickly left his spot, walked across the bridge and timed it so perfectly that he stepped into the turbolift in sync with the captain.

Pike frowned as his Vulcan officer came to stand next to him. "Armory," he commandeered the turbolift. "Something on your mind, Spock?"

"Captain, I must caution you. It is unwise to travel down to the planet's surface. It might not be safe. Furthermore, I see no logic in bringing Commander Stamets," he reasoned.

"You know, I've really missed you, Spock," Pike managed dryly.

For a moment the Vulcan appeared slightly amused, then the expression shifted back into that calm, logic demeanor that he usually displayed. "I learned long ago when you're being sarcastic, captain. You do get a certain expression on your face," he returned indignantly as he threw his superior officer a sideway glance.

Pike smirked as the turbolift came to a full stop and walked out, his science officer following suit.

"You're vital to this mission, captain-" he began, hoping Pike would come to his senses.

"So, that means I can't have a little fun along the way?" he interrupted as they walked into a locker room.

Spock watched him unzip his blue, gold-striped jacket and shrug out of it. The captain then proceeded to put on a flake vest over his tightly fitted, dark undershirt.

"I asked Commander Saru to come along because he was once a simple tribesman. He will know what to expect from someone in a similar situation. I believe that, if we do come across anyone down there, it's going to be tribespeople," Pike reasoned. "I had Commander Stamets in mind because of his experience with the Mycelial Network and time shifting."

"Interesting point of view," Spock admitted. "Do you have reason to believe that the signal, now that we know that Doctor Burnham is not connected to it, have something else to do with time-travel?"

"I'm playing a hunch," the captain replied enigmatically as he reached for a phaser, checked it over and holstered it.

"You are aware that, should you be incapacitated, or worse, the _Discovery_ will not only be losing Starfleet's only Kelpien and the ability to navigate back into Federation space using the spore drive; she will also lose her captain," Spock said in an even voice.

"And what are the odds of all of us perishing in the greenery of Paradise?" Pike asked as he walked out the door and into the corridor.

"Actually, that would be-" Spock began.

"It was a rhetorical question," he interrupted amusedly as he finally walked into the transporter room to join Stamets and Saru who'd already taken up position on the pads.

"Very well, captain. I will assist Commander Burnham with the scans to decrease such a risk then," the Vulcan informed.

"Good," Pike replied as he nodded toward the ensign at the transporter. "Energize."

OOOOOO

Arax VI's canopy and sky was even more beautiful live than on the colorful feed displayed at the bridge of the _Discovery. _At least that's what the away team thoughtas they materialized in a glade, not too far away from a mountain complex in which they'd deduced it most likely for the signal to have originated from.

"I can't believe such a beautiful planet can be uninhabited," Tilly mused, watching the trio from the bridge, as Owo zoomed in on them.

"Record shows that hasn't always been the case," Michael reminded her. "The data from the sphere archive mentions that a horrible accident took place here. Unfortunately, the rest was lost in translation as Leland's data transfer finished prematurely. For unknown reasons it damaged the particular portion of the archive in which data about the Arax system was stored."

Tilly hesitated. "What if something is down there?" she blurted.

"Like what?" Detmer teased as she sat back in her chair, her arms folded over her chest.

"I don't know," Tilly replied with a shrug. "Like a-, an ancient village, giant lizards, tiger-like creatures-"

Owo and Detmer shared an amused look.

"I think someone needs to stop watching horror movies," Bryce piped up from behind his station.

"Geez, thank you guys," Tilly whined. "Go ahead and laugh at me but it _could_ happen. I mean, no one has been here before, right?"

"We've come across ancient villages once or twice, and a few dead bodies, but we've never encountered giant lizards or tiger-like monsters," Commander Nhan offered softly with a kind smile.

"We must have a story night or something," Tilly suggested brightly. "I am dying to know about all the encounters in deep space you had on your five-year-mission onboard the _Enterprise_."

"You'd better invite the captain then," Nhan replied amusedly. "No one can tell a story like him."

"Really?" Tilly said.

"And if you want the mission in numbers you should invite Mr. Spock," Nhan glanced apologetically sideways toward Michael. "Sorry, Commander Burnham."

"No offence taken," she assured her.

The view screen suddenly began to darken, then it blinked for a moment, before it turned completely dark.

"Ooookay," Tilly drawled.

"What just happened?" Detmer asked worriedly.

Michael's hands flew over the console, trying to get a live feed from the planet, but the screen remained black. "I can't get a picture," she said seriously.

"I can't get through to the landing party. There's no response on any channel," Bryce reported as the door to the turbolift swooshed open to reveal Spock.

"What is going on?" the Vulcan lieutenant asked as he walked up to the science station out of habit. "Why is the view screen dark?"

"I don't know," Michael let on.

"Then I suggest you find out. You're supposed to be in command of this ship while the captain and Commander Saru are away, are you not?" he stated simply.

"It's the lizards," Tilly mumbled under her breath.

"Spock, with all due respect, you can't just waltz in here-" Michael began, annoyed at her brother.

"My captain trusts you to have his back," Spock replied calmly.

"_Your_ captain?" she questioned in disbelief.

"Okay," Nhan said seriously. "Now is not the time to argue. Let's focus on getting our people back."

Michael glared at Spock while he, in turn, studied his younger and undisciplined sister. None of them said anything, there was no need. Spock moved over to study the instruments at the science station while Michael returned to hammering away at the console in front of her in pure frustration.

A piercing animalistic scream suddenly echoed through the loudspeakers over the open channel before the bridge turned eerie silent once again, no one dared to breathe.

"Bryce, I thought you said you'd lost contact with the landing party?" Michael finally voiced in confusion.

"It's the tiger-like creatures," Tilly whispered as the skin prickled on her arms.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _


	3. Alive

**Chapter Three**

_Alive_

Pike whirled around, jumped behind a nearby tree, crouched and held his position. His hand hovered over the weapon which was holstered to his thigh. The sound was loud, piercing, as it echoed across the forest, and for some crazy reason, he was half-expecting to come face to face with an old Tyrannosaurus Rex or something in similar fashion. "What the hell was that?" he asked.

Stamets popped his head out from behind another tree and grimaced as he unconsciously pulled at his collar. "Whatever it is, it doesn't sound like it's happy," he offered, trying to lighten the mood.

"I'm reading multiple bio signs, captain," Saru reported as he studied the scanner in his hand. "However, I don't think they're humanoids."

Pike glanced around, expecting to see something; anything. "In which direction, Mr. Saru?" he asked seriously.

The Kelpien glanced around the immediate area and then back at the scanner in confusion. "Everywhere," he said.

Stamets felt the skin on his neck prickle as his fingers curled around the trigger of the drawn phaser.

Pike stiffened as he thought he heard a murmur of voices, growing louder for every minute. They sounded close, too close, like they were enveloping him, creating a cacophony of indistinct chatter. He pressed the palms of his hands against his ears to try and block it out but it was to no avail.

Saru forced himself to stay put as the voices assaulted his sensitive ears. He carefully glanced around the immediate area but no matter where he looked, the away team remained alone. The Kelpien swallowed and glanced down at the life-signs-detector and did a double-take; the bio-signs that had registered earlier, where all gone.

Then, as suddenly as the high-pitched scream had sounded, everything turned deadly quiet. The trio looked at each other with a baffled expression. After a moment of silence, they could hear the whispers of the light breeze that gently caressed the leaves amongst the treetops.

Pike looked up at the tall hardwood and the starkly blue sky above them. "Interesting place," he said thoughfully.

"You don't say, sir," Stamets quipped.

The Kelpien cleared his throat. "Commander Burnham and Lieutenant Spock suggested that we should begin our search for the signal near the mountain chain," he said and nodded toward the massive peaks some distance away.

"And we discussed the possibility of an underground complex that stretches for miles under the surface," Pike replied. "I believe both you and Commander Reno argued that would be the obvious place to hide-," he sighed, "-whatever it is they wish to hide."

"That's correct, sir," Saru answered kindly. "But, as you are well aware, the sphere data wasn't very specific about anything concerning this planet and since the rock formation is too dense for _Discovery's _scanners to penetrate, we can't really know what's down there."

"It might be what the scanners says it is-," Stamets offered, "- solid rocks."

"If I'd make a suggestion," Saru said, glaring at the mycologist. "Judging from the sun's trajectory and the length of the planet's orbit, I would estimate that we have about three hours of daylight left. Therefore, I think it would be wise to make the most of our time here."

"Good call, commander," Pike said.

OOOOOO

Commander Michael Burnham sighed wearily as she entered sickbay and proceeded to the smaller bay in the back of the room, where they kept the most critical cases. It didn't take her long to scan the small section and find Ash Tyler propped up on a bed to the left with his eyes closed. She tip-toed up to him, afraid to wake him.

"I'm not asleep, Michael," he said softly as she approached. "Besides, I really hope that wasn't your stealthiest."

She smirked. "Maybe, I actually wanted you to hear me," she replied cunningly as she took in his appearance. He was lying on his back, clad in a gown that reached down to his knees and he seemed to be shivering.

He returned her smile. "I'm glad to see you."

"Are you cold? I'll get you a blanket," she suggested softly.

"No, Michael, it's okay. Doctor Pollard has just finished the first regenerative treatment. It's left me bone-weary and a little peachy."

Michael laughed. "I can imagine," she said.

"It's nice to see you smile," he whispered kindly. "It's been a long time since I've seen that smile."

She instantly sobered and schooled her expression.

"What is it?" he asked carefully. "Is something wrong?"

Michael swallowed, her mouth dry. "We've lost contact with the landing party."

He shook his head. "Since you're here, I suppose Captain Pike assigned Saru for the mission. I know he's like a second brother to you but-" he trailed off as she too shook her head.

"Captain Pike took the lead, Saru went along and they took Commander Stamets with them," she said. "We've been trying to hail them for hours but there is no response."

Tyler pursed his lips into a thin line of displeasure. "So, Pike went himself," he mused. "Look, Michael, judging by what I have seen of our captain this far; I'd say he's a man capable of looking after himself and those under his command."

She looked away for a moment and rocked on her heels slightly, her hands clasped behind her back.

A rueful smile settled onto Ash's lips as he studied her for a moment. ""They'll come through," he finally whispered kindly.

"I've lost so many, Ash. I can't lose them too," she whispered. "I've let them come too close to me."

"You are human, Michael," he said. "You need to feel, contrary to Vulcan philosophy. The Klingons draws strength from their feelings."

Michael's lips twitched ever so slightly upwards at that. "They draw strength from rage, they stir from the dead at the smell of their enemies' blood."

He wisely chose to ignore her light banter; he knew there was so much pain behind those words; so many things she hadn't yet come to terms with when it came to the Klingon-Federation war. "You're afraid to let people in because you think you're going to lose them," he deduced. "Like you lost your parents. You tried to scare away your foster brother, instead you created a rift between you that still exists today, does it not?"

She turned to study her shoes for a moment.

"The fact that you're facing away from me right now tells me I'm right," Ash said softly. "Then you grew up and graduated. Ambassador Sarek brought you to his friend, Captain Philippa Georgiou, so that you could learn about Starfleet. The two of you developed a friendship, you looked up to her, but in the end, you thought you knew better, had better training, and acted upon a Vulcan belief that Klingons are illogical and unpredictable."

"Ash," she warned, her tone of voice dangerously low.

"Based on your assumptions, you helped start a war and lost your mentor and captain on the field," he pushed.

"I know what happened that day!" she shouted angrily, fixing him with steely eyes. "No one knows better than me what happened on that day!"

There was a moment of silence between them before Michael forced herself to calm down. "When Captain Lorca and _Discovery_ appeared out of nowhere; saving our prison transport from certain doom. I gawked at the second chance and the mercy he was showing me," she let out a bitter snort. "In the end it turned out he had planned it all along."

Tyler shifted in bed with a grimace.

Michael shook her head. "Lorca deceived me, Ash, and brought the entire ship to the Terran Empire. He forced me to face my dead friend and mentor once again; some twisted version of her anyway. The resemblance was stunning to me and-," she trailed off and turned to level her agonized eyes with his. "-you know what the worst part is? Every time I look at her, I see _my_ Philippa Georgiou even though I know she isn't coming back."

They looked at each other for a moment and Michael opened her mouth to add something, then hesitated and closed it again.

Through the haze of pain Ash managed a fond smile as he studied the woman before him. His life hadn't been straight-forward; sometimes he wasn't even sure whom he really was but if there was anything he did know; it was that the part of him that was Ash Tyler loved Michael Burnham. "Don't hold back, it isn't like you," he teased.

Sadness flickered across her face for an instant, it morphed into anger and mixed into something unreadable. "I've tried to shake off the horrors of the past and when you came along for the ride, I thought I'd finally found my soulmate. Instead I found a broken soul, hidden inside a modified Klingon, who was sent to spy on_ Discovery_," she said bitterly.

"Well, go on," he replied sarcastically as he placed a protective hand over his injured side. "Hit a man who's already down. If it feels any better, please keep it up."

She reached up with her hand to rub at her face and grimaced. "No, Ash. I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"Look, Michael, I'm not a regular boy scout, I get that, but I figure that's not what you're looking for," he reasoned softly. "The Section is like a home for a twisted personality such as mine, for the misfits, for those who doesn't belong."

She sat down at his bedside and took his hand into her own. "Don't say that," she begged softly.

"Let's face it, Michael. I've nothing left. Lieutenant Ash Tyler is deceased. My parents had to let me go. I can't turn up on their doorstep like nothing's happened. The real question is my identity. Am I Voq?"

"No, Ash, no you're not," she whispered. "You're the good side of both of them."

"You're special to me, Michael. I think you should know that," he said seriously. "I don't want to see you hurt."

"I really wish it had worked out, Ash," she whispered longingly. "You and I."

He nodded toward the door and smiled. "Come on, you have to go back to the bridge. You'd better find the captain, Saru and Stamets."

She gave him a hesitant smile. "I am _not_ going to lose them, Ash," she said resolutely.

He nodded. "I know you won't."

OOOOOO

Ensign Tilly sat hunched over the console and jerked away from the small screen in front of her as it sprung to life. Within a moment every screen on the bridge came back online and last, but not least, even the main view screen came to life. She stared at the green vegetation that seemed to stretch for miles on the planet's surface and then shook off the alluring effect it had on her.

"Captain?" she spoke up, hoping the contact had been reestablished.

Bryce shook his head at her as she looked at him. He was just about to say something when muted voices could be heard over the com-link.

Detmer and Owo shared a look of confusion. "Is that-" Detmer began but trailed off as the screen in front of them started to zoom in. She threw a sideway glace at ops.

"I'm not doing anything," Owo said and raised her hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Me neither," Spock replied from the science station.

"No, that's not possible," Tilly mused as she walked forward to stand between Detmer and Owo.

Then suddenly the landing party appeared on the screen, causing the bridge crew to take a collective gasp.

"Holy-" the young ensign began and raised a hand to her mouth.

"Commander Burnham to the bridge immediately," Spock called evenly yet there was a strange sense of urgency in his flat tone.

They stared in horror at Saru who was hanging over a step cliff edge and kept from falling only by Captain Pike's steady grip around his wrists. The captain, in turn, was kept from tumbling over and join his XO by Commander Stamets whose hands resolutely gripped his ankles in pure desperation.

"_I can't-"_ Paul shouted in a strained and quivering voice as he gritted his teeth in frustration. His grip loosened ever so slightly, a few millimeters at a time.

Pike twisted, in what looked like agony, as he was locked in place from two directions. His fingers slipped from Saru's and the Kelpien latched on with both his hands to Pike's left arm in pure self-preservation. The motion nearly dislocated the captain's shoulder and he bit his lower lip in order stop himself from crying out as his vision swam before him.

"Transporter room, can you get a lock on the landing party?" Owo called worriedly.

"_Stand by,"_ came the steady reply. _"I'm having trouble registering them. There is too much interference." _

Tilly hitched on a breath as there was a foreboding crackle over the channel. She swallowed, her mouth dry. "Come on Paul," she urged, as if she could will him to keep his grip around the captain's ankles.

Then Pike grunted and gritted his teeth as Saru was unable to stop his pendulum motion. He shifted his weight, a motion which Stamets' white and tortured fingers was unable to compensate for. In one last desperate attempt to keep his colleagues from falling he tried to lock his feet under a root but it snapped and hurled all three of them over the edge.

Time seemed to stand still on the bridge of the _Discovery_ while they watched, transfixed, as the away team was freefalling to their deaths.

Tilly felt her heart leap out of her throat and she had to steady herself on the console before her not to panic. She jumped as the transporter technician's voice came back over the open channel.

"_We have them." _

Then a shimmer suddenly engulfed the landing party and whisked them to safety.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _


	4. The Hard Way

**Chapter Four**

_The Hard Way _

Michael and Tracy rushed through the doors to the transporter room just in time to see the landing party materialize, locked together in a tangled heap. Commander Saru crashed to the floor, after being suspended above the platform as the transporter had caught him in a freefall, his chin slamming into the floor with a sickening thud. The second later Captain Pike unceremoniously fell on top of him and managed to roll halfway off the Kelpien before Commander Stamets crashed into the captain from above, his knees digging painfully into the left side of Pike's chest.

A chorus of low moans could be heard from the trio as they struggled to untangle themselves. Saru gingerly sat up and placed a hand on his jaw, grimacing, as blood trickled from his mouth. Pike carefully rolled onto his side and placed a hand protectively over his ribs as Stamets sheepishly offered him a hand up. Grimacing, the captain grabbed his wrist, mindful not to touch the bleeding palm of Stamets's hand, and bit his lower lip as he was dragged upright on his feet.

Doctor Pollard looked from Saru to Pike and then back again, deciding the Kelpien was in greater need of her immediate attention. The nasty fall could easily have broken the man's neck and, even though he sat up, he looked a little too dazed for her liking.

"Please, sit still, Commander Saru. I need to take a look at your neck and chin," Doctor Pollard said kindly she approached him.

He shook his head faintly, as if to make sure it was still attached. "I'm fine, doctor," he managed and blinked to clear his eyes.

"You're hurt," she said sternly.

"Only my pride," he muttered as he gingerly touched his sore and bruised ankle.

"What happened to monitoring the away team?" Stamets asked sourly as he walked off the platform in annoyance, looking awfully stiff and sore as he glanced down at his bleeding and swollen hands.

"We did," Michael said seriously as her eyes strayed over to Pike who was lingering behind Stamets, lines of pain creasing his forehead. "We lost the signal only minutes after you beamed down and didn't get it back until the three of you were hanging over the edge of that cliff."

Stamets shook his head in resignation.

"What happened," Pike asked as he came forward to stand next to the astromycologist, his hand still draped over his chest.

Michael smirked. "I could ask you the same thing, captain," she said lightly.

"It's all my fault," Saru spoke up sheepishly as he turned his head to look at her.

The doctor glared at him and gently motioned for him to look straight ahead again while she attended to his battered chin. She pursed her lips into a thin line of displeasure as she studied the injury up close and then got up from her position on the transporter-pad next to the Kelpien. "Right, I want all of you in sickbay," she commanded in a no nonsense tone of voice.

"I'm not injured," Stamets protested as he went over to help Saru get to his feet.

Pollard harrumphed and nodded at his hands. "And what do you call that?" she asked curiously.

"Doctor, please make sure they are okay," the captain added as he began to walk toward the door. "I'll report to the bridge."

The petite doctor, however, was faster and managed to step directly into his path, causing the captain to sidestep to avoid more bruises than he'd already acquired. "With respect, sir, I don't think anyone on the bridge failed to notice that you hang over the edge of a cliff a moment ago and, as of right now, I can only guess how you got there."

"I stumbled," Saru admitted. "I dragged Captain Pike with me in the fall and we took a tumble."

"Quite a ride," Stamets mumbled under his breath. "I was only able to catch up with them at the edge."

Pike grimaced at the explanation as he saw the doctor look at him in concern.

"You should go, sir," Michael insisted as she too looked at him in concern. "There is nothing on the bridge that can't wait for another hour.

Pike arched an eyebrow; he certainly hadn't planned to stay more than a few minutes in sickbay and definitely not an hour. "Look, I appreciate your concern but, as Saru mentioned, we took a tumble, I'm a little sore. It's not like I have a life-threatening condition."

"You've got sand in your hair," Stamets noted.

Michael fought to keep her face neutral and smirked as the captain reached up with his hand to try and dust it off.

"Not only sand," Tracy replied as Pike's fingers came away streaked with blood. "That's it, captain, right now the doctor's words are law and you're either following me willingly-"

Pike wisely raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Lead the way, Doctor Pollard," he said softly.

OOOOOO

Doctor Hugh Culber glanced up from his position next to the large medical board, in the middle of the room, as the doors to sickbay opened to reveal three dirtied officers with various degrees of torn uniforms. He was officially not on duty at the moment, his shift had ended a few hours ago but he'd lingered with a bad feeling in his stomach and, judging by the dark look on his colleague's face, it seemed like he'd done the right thing.

Even though they weren't an item any longer, his eyes quickly fixated on Paul, the man he'd loved so much once upon a time. The commander looked paler than usual as he kept staring at his bloodied palms and swollen fingertips. Hugh narrowed his eyes at the stiff posture and the glazed look in his eyes and took a deep breath. It hurt to see his former lover in such a state but he wouldn't walk up to him as it was clear that Paul wanted distance now that he'd come clean about his conflicted feelings. Hugh shook his head sadly, he was a professional and he would act as such. He nodded at one of the experienced nurses and motioned for her to take care of Commander Stamets as he set out to take care of Captain Pike.

Burnham was frowning at something Pike had just said as the doctor joined them. Culber paid no attention to her, he'd set his medically trained eyes solely on his superior officer.

The commander suddenly let out a faint chuckle and shook her head, momentarily confusing the doctor. "Tilly said to tell you, she'll bring popcorn the next time we are going to monitor the three of you on an away mission," she teased. "You scared us half to death, sir."

"I have to admit, it was quite a view," Pike replied softly with a twinkle in his eyes.

"This is quite a view as well," Hugh chimed in with a kind smile as he nodded at the dirtied man opposite him. Pike looked to be in a good mood despite his appearance but it wasn't that hard to see that he was in pain, even though he did his best to try and hide it. "Please take a seat on the bed behind you, captain."

"I'll head to the bridge and see if Spock has found something - anything - that can explain the malfunction," Michael suggested with a faint smile.

Pike nodded. "I'll join you shortly," he said as he gingerly did as the good doctor ordered.

While the captain watched his science officer leave, Hugh's eyes wandered over to where Paul was seated on a bed at the opposite side of the room. A pang of regret, even jealousy, washed over Culber as he watched the other man smile kindly toward the nurse who, in turn, smiled back as she gently cleaned his hands.

"Go and take care of him, doctor," Pike suggested softly as he leaned forward in an attempt to jump off the bed.

"Not so fast, captain," Hugh replied as he slipped back into doctor mode and placed a gentle hand on his superior officer's shoulder. He stiffened as the action elicited a gasp and a grimace. With a frown he quickly ran the tricorder over the area.

"Just a bruise," Pike tried to assure him.

"More like a partial dislocation," Culber mused and fixed him with a stern look.

The captain exhaled in frustration but stopped short as the action reminded him of his sore ribs.

The tricorder chirped loudly as it registered the shoulder injury, the bruises on his collarbone and chest, the cut in his hairline and finally, the two cracked ribs on his left side.

"Quite a collection, sir," Hugh said seriously.

"Hardly life-threatening," came the quick, somewhat dry, response but the tone was light and friendly.

Hugh took a moment to study the flagship captain. The man's face was pale beneath the patches of dust and sand that clung to his face. A thin sheen of perspiration coated his upper-lip and forehead and a faint residue of blood could be visible at the corner of his mouth. There was also a tightness around his eyes that hinted he was in pain. Now, the doctor knew for a fact that Pike had a high threshold for pain so it troubled him to see the signs even if they were subtle.

"Maybe not, captain, but I'm not letting you back on duty tonight," the doctor said as he began to prepare a syringe. He made a few notations on a tablet, selected a small canister with a clear content and loaded it into the hypo. "I'll give you something for the pain first, then I want to make sure those cracked ribs won't risk breaking or damaging your lung before I start to regenerate the bones."

Pike grimaced at the mere sight of the hypo and began to zone out, not paying that much attention to the words spoken to him. His cunning CMO, Doctor Boyce, wouldn't hesitate to drug him up to his gills with the good stuff and add something that would make him sleepy just to prevent him from getting back to the bridge too soon after an injury.

"Relax, captain," Hugh said with a faint smile as he pushed the hypo to his neck.

Pike froze as the good doctor morphed into a distorted version of Commander Saru. He blinked and tried to focus but his surroundings refused to return to normal. Instead, the room morphed into the lush green forest back on the planet and he heard the muted voices again. He saw Saru again before him as the Kelpien stared at the life-signs detector. _"They're everywhere, sir," _his XO's voice echoed at the back of his head before it finally faded. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind as he felt himself being guided into a flat position on the biobed.

Culber's voice floated over him. "Relax captain, it's okay, you can rest for a few hours before I fix you up. You've had quite an adventure."

"_Chris,"_ a soft female voice called out. _"Chris." _

Pike felt a chill down his spine as he recognized the lilting voice of Vina. His heartbeat quickened for a moment as panic washed all over him. 'Was it happening again?' he wondered. 'Was he losing his grip about reality and illusion once again?' "No," he whispered.

Hugh watched his captain with a worried expression as Pike shifted slightly on the bed, looking deeply troubled. He hadn't known Christopher Pike for that long but enough time had passed for him to recognize that something was off. The doctor made a mental note to check up on him at regular intervals over the next few hours as he gently reached out to unzip the torn uniform tunic.

"What did you do to the captain?" Ensign Tilly's tone of voice sounded almost accusing as she appeared next to Doctor Culber.

He jumped and exhaled in relief as he realized who it was. "You have to stop sneaking up on people," he whined lightly.

"Oh, I-" she paused as she gazed at the sleeping captain and the well-muscled torso that hinted behind the thin layer of his tight undershirt. "I-, I can help you," she offered.

Hugh smiled amusedly at her eagerness and shook his head. "First of all, respect the patient and secondly, don't drool over the patient," he chided teasingly.

The look on her face was priceless, so much in fact that Hugh wished he'd been able to capture it somehow. "I was not-, I mean I have to admit he's pretty-," she trailed off and gently reached out to touch the rippled stomach.

Hugh's lips curled upwards as he gestured for her to come with him.

Tilly frowned with a big goofy grin on her face as she clasped her hands before her.

"You're here to debrief for the Command Track Training day in basic field medicine, right?" he asked kindly.

She nodded. "Yeah, I was just about to report to Tracy, I mean Doctor Pollard, but then I saw Captain Pike and I just had to-"

Hugh gently held up his hands in order to stall her verbal onslaught. "And that's okay, Ensign Tilly, but there are other rules here than on the rest of the ship," he cautioned.

She glanced away for a moment.

"This is a tranquil place for recovery and recuperation. The captain is here because he's been hurt. He's to be seen as a patient and not the commanding officer. He's also going to be treated with respect from the medical crew. Meaning, we let him have his privacy."

Tilly suddenly went bright red as she realized what Culber was trying to tell her. "No, no I wasn't going to undress the captain. I mean, not really, literally, just in my-" she groaned. "That didn't come out right."

"It's all right, Tilly," Hugh said softly as his smile grew bigger, obviously enjoying the moment. "I have to admit that the captain is certainly good-looking, although he's not my type."

An awkward silence settled between them as Tilly wished she was anywhere but sickbay; her cheeks getting heated as she glanced around the room for Doctor Pollard. She sighed in relief as she spotted the woman and hastily retreated. "I'll-, I'll just report my arrival," she managed.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _


	5. Preparations

**Chapter Five**

_Preparations_

Tracy smiled as Tilly made her way over, her cheeks rosy. The younger woman managed to return the smile, although it was a little strained.

"Is Hugh teasing you?" the doctor asked kindly and saw the corners of Saru's lips twitch upwards in amusement in her periphery vision.

Tilly waved the question away. "I talk too much sometimes, you know," she explained.

Saru nodded with fondness at the ensign. "I'm sure there's no harm done," he reasoned.

She nodded sheepishly and frowned at the bruise that was starting to form on the Kelpien's chin. "That looks painful," she noted.

"Commander Saru needs to practice on his falling techniques," Doctor Pollard said seriously, although there was no mistake as to her teasing undertone. "Now, your ankle will be sore for a day or two. I've repaired the broken bone but I do recommend that you stay seated for a while. I see no reason to keep you from light duties though."

He smirked. "I assume this will give me plenty of opportunities to finish my reports."

"Anything to make the captain happy," she offered jovially.

"Speaking of captains," Saru mused. "If I'm not mistaken there's a future captain standing before us."

Tilly straightened at the indication. "I've come to report for medical duty," she said.

Doctor Pollard nodded. "This has been in the works for a few months actually but with everything that has happened lately we simply haven't had the time, or energy, to find a suitable planet for our CTP excursion."

Tilly rubbed her hands as a genuine smile spread over her lips in her excitement.

"As a person in command, it is important to know the basics of all the fields represented onboard a starship," Tracy explained. "With that said, I'll let Commander Saru continue since he's here."

The Kelpien nodded. "You've had the opportunity to attend bridge duty, to learn how to use a phaser against inanimate objects and against figurative colleagues, you have learnt the basic negotiation techniques and so on. Now, it's time for field medicine and general medical practice. It is time for you to learn how to save lives with simple means and how to keep a colleague safe and sound until real medical professionals arrive."

Tilly suddenly looked a little green so Saru hastily added. "I'm sure that won't be a problem for any of you given what you've been through already."

"You're the last CTP student that will attend the basic course onboard this ship. You'll accompany me for a day or two in sickbay where we'll go through different scenarios, injury types, healing processes and so on. When you are finished there will be a group discussion about what the whole group of CTP students have all seen and learnt," Tracy explained.

"The trick has been to set up camp to perform the field training exercise but I have reason to believe that this planet might be suitable," Saru informed and then added enigmatically. "Provided you're not tripping on roots."

Tilly laughed. "Good one, sir," then she caught herself. "I mean, I'm so glad you didn't fare worse."

"Everything will be fine, ensign," Saru assured her lightly. His eyes strayed across sickbay, landing on the captain as he said it.

OOOOOO

Jett Reno frowned as Paul Stamets walked into the part of the engineering section that housed the spore drive hub. She was just about ready to take apart a relay station.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm fixing some burned out power circuits, that is, if you don't mind. I mean, you do have a few sore fingertips at the moment have you not?" she remarked dryly.

He smirked but said nothing as he walked passed her.

"Quite a jump the three of you took. I've never had you pegged as the adventurous type," she said in amusement. "Or was it a leap?"

"On a second thought," he muttered as he walked up to her. "I'll fix that myself. Why don't you just return from whatever place you came from?"

Reno shrugged as she let go of the cables and ungloved her hands. "Fine, cutie, see you around," she replied.

OOOOOO

"What do you mean?" Michael asked curiously as Spock closed the hatch below the science station and got up from his crouched position.

"What I said," he explained simply. "There is nothing wrong with the ship's sensors or camera array."

"Then why did we lose contact with the away team?" she replied seriously.

"I cannot say why at the moment," he replied stoically.

"Can you make an educated guess then?" she questioned.

"The logs from the camera array shows it continued to record," Owo replied over her shoulder.

Michael turned toward her.

"We have shots of the glade where you materialized for several hours," the ops officer added.

"Perhaps it's not a malfunction but a distortion? Something might be interfering with the sensors and cameras, something that emanates from the planet," Detmer suggested. "Like Tilly said earlier; no one has been here before."

"But there is nothing down there?" Michael reasoned. "If there is nothing down there then what could possibly-"

"You are forgetting the red signal," Spock interrupted. "We need to discuss our next course of action with the captain as soon as he returns from sickbay."

"Agreed," Michael said, although it was clear that she didn't like that he took an initiative on her ship or that he considered his logical reasoning superior.

OOOOOO

Ash Tyler gently swung his legs over the edge of the biobed and sighed. He closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head, as if to clear it from the lingering pain that still bothered him. The wound had been sealed by now and the dermal regenerator had worked its magic but that didn't mean he was cleared from the med bay, or fit for any kind of duty. However, he had reached an agreement with Doctor Pollard about a release to his quarters.

He glanced hopefully in the direction of the door as it slid open and smirked as Michael Burnham walked into the room.

She smiled at him and, as she glanced over to Pike and saw that her superior officer was fast asleep, decided to join him. "Why the long face?" she teased softly. "I thought you would be pleased to see me."

He chuckled. "I am, it's just that I was expecting Doctor Pollard."

Michael frowned. "And what does she have that I haven't?" she asked curiously.

"My release papers," he deadpanned. "Any news about 'control' or Captain Leland?"

"No, I'm afraid not," she offered. "You're looking much better, by the way."

"Feel it too," he concurred with a wry, tight, smile. "However, I'm not looking forward to seeing Leland again. It was crazy, like he had super powers, like some freaking robot."

Michael turned serious and sad for a fleeting moment. "Leland I might not have seen eye to eye about certain things – I have a distinct memory of breaking his nose back there - but I don't wish for anyone to be merged with an AI," she said in a subdued voice. "Imagine being in there, seeing everything without being able to stop the madness."

"Do you think he's still in there at all?" Ash countered cautiously.

Silence settled over the two awake occupants of the room for a moment. Burnham took a deep breath as Tyler involuntarily shuddered.

"What really happened down on the planet?" Ash asked suddenly as his eyes wandered over to the sleeping form of Captain Pike. "I've never seen him like that before. As Culber gave him a shot of some kind he froze and then as they helped him settle on the bed he repeated the word no all over."

Michael followed his worried gaze to Pike, who looked awfully pale and drawn. As she studied him for a moment she saw that his skin appeared clammy and that his hair was damp. "Maybe he's just exhausted," she suggested simply, a statement she found hard to believe herself. "He's been working a lot to get this ship to run smoothly, to bring everyone together and help us fight our demons. I can only imagine what other things he's been faced with on the _Enterprise_ that has caught up with him."

"No," Ash shook his head. "There must be something else. Pike is not the type to give in, he's one of those tough people that never allows anyone else to see their vulnerability unless you look very hard."

"The captain is human, Ash," Michael reasoned softly.

"Wasn't there anything down there?" he pushed. "There must have been something. Every camera and scanner won't just malfunction at once at such a convenient time."

"You've been working at Section 31 for too long," she replied. "Considering the density of the planet's rock formations it might be a naturally occurring phenomena that disturbs the sensors. They went offline again only a minute ago."

Tyler frowned but didn't argue further. "So, what happens now?" he asked curiously.

Michael made a face. "Now, we wait for the captain to come around."

The door opened with a hiss behind the commander and she turned around just in time to see Doctor Pollard walk into the room.

"I hope you're not thinking of talking to Captain Pike," she said seriously as she walked up to them and then gave Ash a tight smile. "I'm sorry I had to keep you waiting. I'm drilling Ensign Tilly at the moment and I got a bit carried away. She's such a good student."

Michael chuckled and shook her head at the mention of her roommate. "I have a feeling she'll recite everything when I'm about to hit the sack."

Ash wiggled his eyebrows. "Better you than me," he teased softly as he made to stand.

"Doctor Pollard," Michael began as her eyes once again strayed to her superior officer. "When _can_ I speak to the captain?"

"Since _Discovery_ is orbiting, what appears to be, a harmful planet and we're operating under normal circumstances I assume there isn't any pressing matters to attend to?" she guessed.

"No, but I wanted to-,"

"You take a good look at him," Tracy said sternly yet her voice was soft and concerned. "He needs his sleep. I'm sure Commander Saru can help if there is anything important that needs a signature."

Michael smirked unhappily then turned to Ash. "So, do you need company to your quarters?" she asked jovially.

"Afraid I'd get lost on the way?" he asked with a wry grin.

OOOOOO

Christopher Pike absolutely loathed to wake up in sickbay to find that his clothes had been replaced by a medical gown, that he was sore, bone-weary and totally out of the loop. To say he had a need for control might not have been correct but he needed clarity; needed to be able to assess the situation and his own predicament.

'What was it Doctor Culber had said?' he wondered as he tried to take deep breath and stiffened as pain erupted in his side. He grimaced - cracked ribs - he recalled. He did a quick self-inventory and found that his head pounded along with his sore shoulder and that his arm was tingling. The fact that he did feel all his aches meant he wasn't as drugged as he'd thought.

"Welcome back, captain," Culber greeted jovially as he appeared next to him.

Pike jumped and then grimaced. "Maybe we should put a bell on you," he mused softly.

"I'm sorry, sir, I didn't mean to sneak up on you," the good doctor replied sheepishly. "How are you feeling?"

"Don't you ever grow tired of that question?" he asked lightly as he broke into wry yet amused smile.

"I'm curious. Is defying your doctor something they teach captains back at the academy?" he asked kindly with a sarcastic wit.

"Not that I know of, Doctor Culber," Pike replied enigmatically. "As per your question; I'm fine. Is there any chance of getting out of here?"

"So, it's a trait then?" Hugh guessed softly as he picked up a medical tricorder to take another scan of his patient.

Pike wisely remained quiet.

"Well," the doctor finally said as he put down the instrument. "Your vitals are good and the color is back on your cheeks. I'm guessing though that you're still feeling a bit sore and stiff?"

A faint upward twitch on the captain's lips was the only reply to his remark.

Culber eyed his patient for a moment. "Actually, I know you are," he added. "I can fix that by adjusting the pain reliever but I want you to continue to rest for a while, therefore I will restrict your duties for another few days-"

"Days?" Pike broke in. "There are things to coordinate, reports to be written, schedules-"

Culber held up his hands to stall him. "How about a deal?" he offered. "I'll let you out of here and you'll rest in your quarters-," he paused as the captain slowly propped himself up on his elbow. "- and I do mean _rest_. No report writing, approving schedules, work meetings and so on until tomorrow?" he finished.

Pike sighed in frustration.

"I'll swing by early tomorrow morning and check up on you, then we'll take it from there," the good doctor added."

Pike narrowed his eyes at him. "It seems you're hard to bargain with," he said.

Culber laughed and shook his head lightly. "Deal or no deal, captain?" he asked cunningly.

"If I say yes, would you sign my release immediately?" Pike replied hopefully.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _


	6. Lingering Pain

**Chapter Six**

_Lingering Pain_

"Fancy meeting you here," Ash said amusedly, his lips curling upwards in a soft smile, as Michael Burnham came to stand next to him in the line for breakfast.

"You look well," she replied, her eyes sparkling, as she took a moment to study him. "It seems you're tougher than I thought."

Even though Ash appeared nonchalant about her scrutiny, he secretly enjoyed it. The way she looked at him could only be defined as flirting. He recalled what she'd said earlier, about the two of them not being right for each other, but he wouldn't give up hope that one day she would reconsider. He remembered with fondness a time when they'd been at ease and comfortable around each other. He recalled the delicious perfume, her soft skin and the way she touched him. He shook his head with a pang of regret as he recalled the reasons why it hadn't worked out between them. Ash would never completely be able to let Michael go but he owed her respect and wanted to believe that their deep friendship and comradery would remain, whatever the future might throw at them. He wanted to believe that their relation was strong enough to survive anything.

"What about you, Michael?" he asked softly as he filled his plate with various things from the counter. "How are you holding up?"

She shrugged, a playful yet sad smile flickered across her lips. "I'm tougher than you think," she replied cockily.

"Tougher than most," he admitted. "Not every woman is left to die on some godforsaken planet, tied to a chair in an abandoned industrial facility."

She glanced away, clearly uncomfortable that he'd brought it up.

"Not many officers lose their mother and get her back only to lose her again in the line of duty," he added seriously.

"Thank you Ash," she managed with a grimace as she too filled her plate with various dishes. "I've been trying to forget that part for most of the week."

They walked over to a table nearby and sat down.

He sighed and ran a hand through his thick black hair. "I'm sorry, Michael," he whispered.

The faintest of smiles creased her lips as she reached for a slice of bread and bit off a piece of it. "It's all right," she said between chews. "Seems I was born under an unlucky star."

He snorted and shook his head. "So, what's on today's agenda?"

She shrugged. "Spock has finished a new set of sensor sweeps of the planet. We've put together a team of geologists and engineers to try and crack the mystery of the dense rock formations in the geological lab. Another team is gathering as we speak to do an overhaul of the image array under _Discovery's_ saucer section just to be on the safe side."

Ash frowned. "I thought you said there was nothing wrong with the ship yesterday?" he remarked.

"There are no indications that there is," she replied.

"Do you think there is a red signal down there?" he asked curiously.

"We don't even know what they _are_, Ash, what they mean, where they come from," Michael said softly. "But if they're helping us; guiding us in our fight to stop 'control' from extinguishing all sentient life in the galaxy, then I hope we'll find one down there."

OOOOOO

Captain Pike awoke after several hours of undisturbed sleep and slowly began to work out the kinks in his back. He gingerly got out of bed and stretched his sore muscles before he crossed the room and stepped into the bathroom. He let the hot and steaming water engulf him, caressing his battered body for several minutes, before he quickly grabbed the shampoo, poured some into his hand and began to massage his scalp.

The hours of sleep had worked magic with his mind but his body was still a different matter. It felt like he was coming down with the flu or something. He was feeling cold despite the hot water that dripped off his body as he reached for a towel. Pike glanced at himself in the mirror, there was no outward sign to give him away. He looked radiant, sharp as ever and, most importantly, he felt clean again.

He shivered as he finished shaving and reached for a fresh blue uniform from the top drawer just outside the bathroom. He fingered longingly at the golden uniform tunic next to it and sighed as he closed the drawer again.

He pulled on the uniform on automatic, the same way he'd done it for over twenty years. Feeling like he was ready for a new day he zipped his uniform tunic tight and took one last look in the mirror as the doorbell chimed. "Enter," he said as he walked out in, what could be best described as, the small living room attached to the captain's quarters.

The door hissed open to reveal Doctor Culber and a sheepish looking Ensign Tilly.

"Captain," Hugh acknowledged, seemingly displeased at finding his superior officer out of bed in the early morning hour.

"Doctor," he replied kindly and nodded at the young ensign, who stood behind Culber, as he took up position behind his desk. "Ensign."

"Sir. Ensign Tilly is here as a participant of the Command Track Program. I wanted her to face some of the dilemmas we encounter in our duties."

Pike smirked. "Such as?" he asked innocently.

"I, for one, know that some members of my medical staff have a little too much respect for their superior officers," he said as he walked around the desk to stand next to the captain. "I'm trying to tell them that I would be negligent in my job if I allowed a superior officer to influence my professional judgement."

Pike frowned and appeared somewhat amused, his dimples slightly visible as he looked at Culber who was quite frankly invading his personal space.

"Ensign Tilly," Hugh said and called her over.

She smiled hesitantly as she walked up to stand next to the doctor who was standing very close to the captain, studying him.

"What do you see?" the doctor asked.

Tilly frowned in confusion as she looked from her medical mentor to her captain. She hesitated for a moment and then pursed her lips. "Um, the captain appears to be fine?" she offered.

Pike's amusement grew equal to Culber's frustration. The good doctor nodded as he pulled up a medical tricorder. "Thank you, ensign. _Appears_ is actually a fitting word here."

Pike leaned back in his chair to let the senior medical officer work. He prayed the small instrument wouldn't give him away.

Culber finished the scan and carefully studied the readings. Pike didn't dare to breathe.

"Okay, captain," Hugh finally said as he stuffed the medical instrument in the small bag he'd been carrying. He then retrieved a hypo to Pike's dismay.

"This is a doze of painkillers," Hugh explained softly. "I could tell you to rest but I have a feeling that it would fall upon deaf ears. "Your ribs and shoulder will trouble you for a couple of days but I can lessen the pain for you."

"Can I return to active duty?" he asked hopefully, ready to bolt from the chair and head to the bridge.

"No," Culber returned in a no nonsense tone of voice. "I can't explain these readings but you've improved considerably since last night. To be honest I hadn't expected this. I would like to keep track on you for at least another day. You'll be cleared for light duty the moment I return to sickbay but you're still unfit for command."

Ensign Tilly held her breath as she saw the steely resolve in the captain's blue eyes but then he resigned and shook his head. Being in the medical profession obviously did have its perks, she noted. Only a doctor could tell the captain what to do and get away with it, but then again, she knew that Culber would not be fulfilling his duties if he let Pike back on full duty unless he was certain the captain was up to it. If Pike wasn't up to the task of commanding the _Discovery_ and something happened, Culber would be facing court-martial.

OOOOOO

Saru grimaced as he gently sat down on his bed to relieve the pressure on his swollen ankle. He'd lost track of time as he'd been working down in the general lab area where they kept most of the portable gadgets. The Kelpien wanted to make sure the equipment had been working properly when they'd been at the surface, given what had happened. Therefore, he'd taken apart one of the life-signs detectors and run a diagnostic. Feeling pain increase in his limb he'd finally given up trying to find something wrong and taken the device with him back to his quarters in several pieces.

He couldn't let it rest; all those life signs, he hadn't imagined them. He'd thought so at first but then he'd awoken in the middle of the night and felt there was more to it. He was certain he'd seen humanoids on the surface of the planet. They'd shimmered in and out of existence before him. It couldn't have been his imagination, or could it? Saru sighed in frustration, he needed answers.

Doctor Pollard had scanned him when they had gotten back onboard and she hadn't detected any kind of hallucinogen, virus or anything else that could possibly affect him in such a way that he'd started seeing things that weren't really there. The humanoids had appeared before him when the away team had been on their way over the crest of a hill and they'd surprised him in such a way that he'd lost his footing. Saru didn't trip; like he'd claimed while sitting on the transporter pad, and he wouldn't have fallen either if it hadn't been for them. He found himself wondering who they were, where they came from and why they'd appeared before him as translucent ragged souls.

Saru sighed. He had stated to Doctor Pollard that the planet was safe but there was something, he couldn't quite put a finger on it, that seemed off. Maybe it was just his senses, he mused wearily. Neither Commander Stamets nor Captain Pike seemed to have had any trouble on the surface yet his sensitive perception to threats had become hyperactive. His hand had strayed to the back of his head several times while on the surface of the planet, trying to calm his tendrils even though he knew they weren't there anymore.

Perhaps it had been wrong to classify the planet as safe but, then again, there had been no indications of life back there. There were only the visions of creepy humanoids that seemed to have been taken directly out of one of Ensign Tilly's horror movies. Saru shook his head, they hadn't been real, his mind had played tricks on him. Yes, that had to have been the case.

He needed Captain Pike to return to active duty, or at least to be awake, so that he could talk to him as soon as possible. He needed advice from someone who was experienced, someone who'd been there and seen - or not seen - what he'd seen. Saru sighed and smirked sarcastically as he picked up the life-signs detector once again to see if there was something he'd missed. However, he knew, the answer to his question would keep eluding him. Saru reached out to open a channel to Captain Pike, his hand poised over the button then he sighed and shook his head, it wasn't that important, he could wait until the captain called him.

OOOOOO

"Captain," Doctor Pollard greeted as they stepped into the turbolift simultaneously.

"Sickbay?" he assumed.

"Wherever you are going actually," she replied with a faint smile. "I've been looking for you."

Pike nodded. "Deck two," he ordered and then added, for the benefit of the doctor, "I'm on my way to my ready room."

"To catch up on your paperwork, sir?" she asked. "Seems it's something of a trend at the moment."

Pike snorted but managed to keep his face neutral. "Yes, I believe Commander Saru have a stack of documents for me to sign. I take it he was ordered to stay off his foot for a while?"

Tracy nodded. "I have the crew's status report for you here," she said and handed over a tablet.

The captain quickly skimmed the text and sighed with relief. "Good, for a while back there I feared it was going to get much worse. He checked out the notes concerning both Stamets and Saru. "How's Tyler?"

Tracy studied him for a moment. "Tyler is getting better. I released him to his quarters last night," she replied as the turbolift doors opened and Pike strode out. She had to pick up her pace in order to be able to follow him into the ready room before the door closed.

"How are you holding up, sir?" she asked suspiciously.

"Fine," he replied so quickly it sounded like a well-practiced and rehearsed catch phrase.

"Forgive me, captain, but I saw you in sickbay last night," she said kindly.

He furrowed his brow as he sat down and gave her a completely innocent look. She thought she'd seen a faint grimace and tightness around his eyes as he sat down but other than that he _did_ look fine.

The doctor smirked and decided to take his word for it, against her better judgement, as she sat down opposite him and handed him another tablet. "My review of the CTP participants. I'm pleasantly surprised and happy to have such good students."

Pike smiled, genuinely this time. "They applied to Starfleet at the worst of times and I imagine that just to serve onboard a ship during the war must have been both exiting and terrifying," he reasoned. "I'm amazed by their talents. It seems like there's still hope for the future."

Tracy couldn't help but to return the smile. "I have no doubt that if there were any CTP places available on the _Enterprise,_ they'd fight over it."

This time Pike chuckled, then stiffened and gingerly placed a hand over his sore ribs as he shook his head. "Don't make me laugh, please," he said softly.

"Best of the best," Tracy offered kindly. "That's what they said to me when I applied."

He leaned forward, the illuminated tablet in his hand forgotten, as he studied the young doctor sitting opposite him. "Did you apply for a position on my ship, doctor?" he asked curiously.

She leveled her eyes with his. "I might have, sir," she replied enigmatically. "Then they told me there was a fifty-fifty percent chance of never returning to known space again from a deep space mission such as the one the _Enterprise_ was about to set out for."

"You know, it doesn't matter what ship you sign on for. There are never any guaranties, besides, the _Discovery's_ mission is no walk in the park either," he replied seriously. "You should be proud of yourself. There's nothing but praise when it comes to your service record."

"If I was about to apply again, sir," she asked curiously.

"Right now every position is filled. _Enterprise's_ sickbay is the domain of Doctor Boyce," Pike paused and broke into a sly grin as he thought about his CMO and friend. "I usually let him decide things that concerns medical matters or there will be hell to pay for me."

She couldn't help but to laugh at the way Pike said it, with a mixture of affection and dread.

The seasoned captain's lips twitched upward at her reaction but he remained otherwise serious, he didn't dare to even snort since the pain still lingered in his chest. His tone of voice, however, was soft and understanding. "We've lost some good people over the years but we've saved a lot too. The medical department is vital when we're cut off from the rest of the Federation for so long," he reasoned. "If you want to reapply or transfer I'll personally sign the papers for you – provided you leave me alone."

"Only when you're not injured, sir," she replied cunningly.

He schooled his expression although she could easily tell he was still amused. "So, Doctor Pollard, you've been talking to my XO and the two of you recommend that we go ahead with the CTP medical field day on the planet below us?" he asked seriously.

She nodded. "Yes, sir."

He shrugged. "I trust Commander Saru's judgement and yours of course. Proceed in any way you see fit."

"Thank you, captain," Tracy said.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _


	7. Come What May

**Chapter Seven**

_Come What May_

Christopher Pike watched the young doctor leave his office and leaned back in his chair, tired of keeping up his appearance of good health. He closed his eyes briefly and sighed as he tried to ignore the ache that seemed to manifest itself in every joint in his body. He got one full minute to himself before the doorbell chimed again. The captain blinked heavy eyelids open and straightened in his chair before he let his unknown visitor inside. "Come," he said.

"Captain," Spock acknowledged as he stepped into the room, closely followed by his sister.

"Doctor Culber said you were allowed back on light duties," Michael informed softly with a faint yet warm smile.

Pike nodded as he gestured for them to take a seat opposite him. "Apparently the good doctor thought I was only well enough to talk," he said with a smirk as he leaned forward and placed his elbows on the desk.

"With all due respect, captain, you looked pretty out of it yesterday," Michael pointed out.

"Let's talk about something else," Pike suggested.

Although the captain's voice was kind and smooth there was something in it that cautioned her not to bring up the subject again. She filed it away for later consideration, for now she would simply accept that he didn't like to show vulnerability in front of the crew.

"Very well," Spock said. "Have you had time to study the report concerning the scanner and camera array onboard the _Discovery_?"

Pike frowned and then shook his head. "I'm sorry, Spock. I wasn't aware there was a problem onboard the ship," he said seriously as a shiver went through his body which, unfortunately, didn't go unnoticed by his science officer.

Spock arched an eyebrow. "Are you cold, captain?" he asked in an even voice, although, someone used to the nuances in the tone could easily pick up a slight concern.

Pike managed to look somewhat surprised. "No," he replied.

"Captain-," the Vulcan began, "-the temperature in this room is ideal for a human. Unless you're feeling unwell, I see no reason-"

Pike held up his hand to stall him. "I can assure you that Doctor Culber ran every possible test this morning before he certified me fit for duty."

"Light duty," Michael corrected.

Chris looked from Spock to Michael and then back again. "You do have some annoying similarities," he remarked softly.

"As you may recall, the signal was lost between the ship and landing party during your away mission," Spock said. "Michael thought it was a malfunction."

"I am aware of the loss of communication but according to Lieutenant Bryce's report there was another black-out later, when the mission was over, and that it had been ruled out as a distortion from something on the planet," Pike explained.

"That is partly correct," Spock replied succinctly. "How do you want to proceed with this matter?"

"Because of our little mishap we didn't have time to do a complete survey and, even if we had, I'd still recommend that we send down another landing party," he said.

"Do you believe we'll find the red signal on the planet?" Michael asked curiously.

Pike looked from brother to sister. "I don't know, commander, but I think it's worth a try. Whatever is down there brought us here for a reason."

"That's the thing," Michael said. "There is nothing down there. The sphere data mentioned a long lost civilization. No one knows what happened to them."

"It is not likely that there are any survivors from whatever caused the population to decrease in numbers. Further analysis is required but there is a possibility that all life was extinguished. The theory is supported by the fact that we haven't been able to pick up a single life-sign," Spock reasoned.

Pike stiffened in his chair, Commander Saru's voice echoing at the back of his mind. _"I'm reading multiple bio signs, captain. However, I don't think they're humanoids." _

"Captain?"

Pike looked up to see two concerned faces studying him. He groaned inwardly as he realized he'd zoned out for a moment. He settled for a casual frown. "Yes?"

"Are you sure you are feeling all right?" Spock asked.

Deciding to wave away the concern directed at him Pike got out of his chair and began to walk around the table without as much as a hint of pain or sickness and motioned for them to follow him out of the room. He stopped at the closest wall-mouthed intercom and pushed the button. "This is the captain. Commander Nhan, Commander Saru and Commander Reno join me in conference room two in ten minutes," he informed over the ship-wide channel.

OOOOOO

Ensign Tilly glanced up from the medical board she was currently studying and frowned while watching the loud-speaker situated just below the ceiling to her right.

"Isn't the medical board interesting enough?" Doctor Pollard asked in a slightly teasing tone.

Tilly turned to her dumbfounded and then kicked into gear. "What? No-I mean of course it is. It's just that I got distracted by the captain's voice," she explained. "Isn't he supposed to be resting?"

"Sitting in a conference room shouldn't be that taxing," Tracy replied amusedly. "Unless he keep at it the whole day."

"Somehow I can picture him doing just that," Tilly blurted truthfully.

Tracy leaned in toward her. "Then we'll go and get him out of there," she replied cunningly.

Tilly chuckled, pleasantly surprised to see that light and soft side of the usually so stern doctor. Pollard always told her what to do, and not to do, in a no-nonsense tone of voice every time she woke up in sickbay. She supposed it was different now when they were colleagues, not doctor and patient.

"You have exactly one hour before the debriefing starts," the doctor added.

Tilly excitedly picked up a medical tricorder to complete her examination of the faked injury of her hand she was currently working on. "So, we are going down to the planet's surface then?" she asked brightly.

Tracy nodded. "All of the CPT participants and a few extras will beam down with Doctor Culber. He's going to fill the position as attending medical officer on site. A bunch of security officers and engineers will get to play injured and your coordination officer for the day will be Commander Saru," she explained.

"But I thought Commander Saru was to stay off his injured foot?" Tilly asked in surprise.

Tracy made a face. "As long as he's not doing anything strenuous, tripping over roots or chasing the lot of you, I don't see any reason for him to be kept onboard ship. The injury is healing fast and can be seen as equal to a sprain at the moment."

"Doesn't the injury protocol state-" Tilly began as she turned to the medical board once again.

"You have been reading up," the doctor commended jovially. "A word of caution. Sometimes you have to be the judge. Is the person taking your advice seriously? Can the person be trusted to rest when told to do so etcetera, etcetera? A protocol is a protocol, Ensign Tilly. It's a good thing to lean back on and it comes with good advices but it doesn't work in the real world. Take flight protocol for example, I'm sure Captain Pike is aware of every flight pattern available to him but he has to choose the order in which to deploy them when facing an enemy. The point is that the protocol isn't a living thing, it's unchangeable even though the situation might be shifting into a new scenario."

She nodded. "I definitely see what you mean," Tilly said.

OOOOOO

"As you all know, the last away mission was not completed," Pike said seriously as he glanced around the table. "We also lost the feed between the ship and the landing party. I have been told it was partly due to disturbance from the planet's atmosphere. _Discovery's_ sensors went off-line a few hours into the mission and sometime afterwards. Now, what we tried has never been done before and it's likely that the constant use of the camera array burned out certain circuitries down in the main circuit bay."

Reno nodded as she leaned forward in her chair. "The camera array was never meant to take snapshots in short sequences over long periods of time. The video feed is set for open channel display, sound and picture, for thirty minutes optimum. That fact and the, at the moment, unknown disturbance from the planet caused overheating in the array," she explained and then shrugged. "Whoever came up with that crazy idea in the first place?"

Spock arched an eyebrow but it was Saru who provided the answer.

"I believe it was Ensign Tilly who suggested that as a mean of extra security," he replied.

"Do you believe it _is_ one of the red signals, captain?" Nhan spoke up curiously, diplomatically changing the subject.

Pike turned to her. "I do admit that I find it a bit odd to have sphere data on it but it's similar to the rest of the red signals that have appeared in the sky," he answered.

"I agree with the captain," Spock said seriously. "We have no reason to believe that it is not one of the red signals."

Saru nodded. "It appeared to us for a reason, like the rest of the signals that we have encountered. It might be that this is actually the origin of the red signals," he theorized.

"Then it might be set for automatic, like the signal Jacob had rigged on Terralysium," Michael suggested.

"Let's find that out," Pike said. "Commander Nhan, Lieutenant Spock and Commander Reno. I want you to form a team and head down to the planet as soon as you're ready."

A chorus of 'Yes, sir,' could be heard as they got out of their chairs.

"What do you expect us to find?" Reno asked curiously.

"If it is an automated signal," Pike began foxily. "I want you to track it down, figure it out, take it offline and report back to me."

Jett broke into a grin, always up for a challenge. "No problem, captain," she assured him confidently.

"Spock," Pike called. "I want you to scan everything down there, record as much as possible and feed it into the memory banks. That way we can run the data through the sphere archive as well."

"Yes, captain," he acknowledged.

"Nhan," the captain said, his lips curling upwards cunningly. "I don't need to tell you what to do down there. You keep them safe and sound."

She nodded with a cunning smile of her own and headed for the door.

Saru lingered in the conference room as the rest of them filed out. Pike leaned back in his chair and looked at his Kelpien XO. "Something on your mind, Saru?" he asked curiously.

He looked uncomfortable for a moment and then leaned forward in his chair, two seats opposite the captain. "I was wondering-, back at the planet. Did you see anything?" he asked carefully.

Pike leaned forward, looking haunted for a moment but then shook his head. "I don't know," he finally said. "I'd say there was something or someone down there but I can't explain it."

Saru managed to look both sheepish and hopeful at the same time.

"You said there where life-signs but I don't recall reading that in your report," he added seriously.

The Kelpien sighed dejectedly. "I think you should know, captain, that I thought I was reading multiple life-signs but when I looked again they had vanished. When we got back I asked for Doctor Pollard to perform a scan for hallucinogens in my system but she found none. In the end I filed it away as vivid imagination."

"I heard a murmur of voices, like we all did," Pike offered, his eyes distant as he spoke. "I couldn't make out what they said and I didn't see anyone."

"I-," Saru began hesitantly, regrettably even, "-I saw them."

Pike snapped out of his daze and turned to face his XO, his eyes narrowing. "I thought you said you imagined it?" he said seriously.

"They were semi-transparent, like a hologram of some kind, they gave me-" he paused and searched for the right words. – "as to phrase Ensign Tilly - the creeps."

Pike's lips curled upwards in amusement despite the seriousness.

"I have a confession to make, captain," Saru said, sounding weary all of a sudden. "I didn't trip on a root. Well, I might have but the point is, I tripped on it because those people appeared out of nowhere right in front of me."

Pike clasped his hands together in front of him as he pursed his lips into a thin line of displeasure. "You do realize that, based on your recommendation, I let Doctor Pollard go ahead with the medical field day," he said.

Saru had the decency to look away for a moment, staring off into space through the window behind his commanding officer.

"It isn't like you to throw caution to the wind, Saru," Pike said softly yet there was a note of warning in his voice.

"There is nothing to circumstantiate the theory that anything is alive back there. Nothing at all," Saru replied hollowly. "I cannot recommend the medical department to stay away from something that may or may not be dangerous without backing it up."

Pike sighed as he leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes and ran a hand over his forehead.

The Kelpien frowned as he took a moment to study the captain. Pike appeared paler than usual, his temper shorter than normal and the usually bright blue eyes seemed dulled. If Saru didn't know any better, he'd say the captain was ill. He shook his head in disbelief, there had to be something else going on. Doctor Culber would never have agreed for Pike to return to any kind of duty if that was the case.

"You're right, Saru," Pike finally said with a half-smile that was far from reassuring. "Will you be overseeing the exercise or have the good Doctor Pollard restricted you to report writing?"

Saru broke into a shy grin as a genuine smile now creased the captain's lips. "I will personally see to it, sir, and when I've briefed the young and bright CTP participants, I'll take a moment to look around the place and see if I can bring some clarity to what I thought I saw."

"Sounds good," Pike mused softly. "But don't stray away on your own, take a security team with you."

Saru motioned for the door. "Are going to attend the first briefing onboard the ship?"

Pike shook his head. "No, I'll head up to the bridge but I have a few things to sign here. I might as well do that first," he reasoned, trying to keep the eagerness for his XO to leave the room out of his voice.

"Very well, sir," the Kelpien replied as he stepped out in the corridor.

Pike sagged in his chair, his eyes turning to slits. "Go away," he whispered as he felt a petite hand on his shoulder.

"_Chris,"_ Vina whispered softly. _"You must help us."_

OOOOOO

_To be continued _

_A/N: I wish I could reply to all the guests too. You should know that I value all the feedback I get. You inspire me to write more ;) _


	8. Point of No Return

**Chapter Eight**

_Point of No Return _

Nhan's lips curled upward into an amused smile as Doctor Culber walked into the transporter room, carrying two large bags of medical equipment. "I didn't realize you were to join us, doc," she said. "Looks heavy, do you need a hand with that?"

Hugh smirked back cunningly. "I didn't realize you were expecting trouble, commander," he said teasingly as he took notice of her full combat gear.

The door opened behind him and the rest of the away team walked in.

"Doctor Culber," Spock acknowledged curtly as he took one last look at the scanner in hand, to make sure it was fully functional.

Reno only nodded at him as she stepped up on the transporter pad.

"I take it you're not going to participate in the CPT excursion," he said with a smile. "I wasn't aware there was another away team on the go."

"Well, you know how it is honey," Reno said, her tone of voice slightly teasing. "Someone needs to complete what the first team failed to finish."

"Energize," Spock said with a nod toward the technician.

The doctor stared at the empty transporter pads for a moment after the trio had disappeared, wondering what had just happened and then snapped out of it as the door swooshed open again.

"All right," Hugh said jovially as he clasped his hands together in front of him. He watched as the transporter room filled with the participants of the CPT program, their range of emotions varying from excited to sour. "I hope you're ready for this exercise. I can tell you one thing; it's not going to be easy; it's not going to be pretty but it's going to be realistic."

As if to emphasize his statement the door swooshed open again to reveal several security officers in combat suits with phasers clipped to their hips and two nurses carrying medical gear.

Tilly shuddered at the sight. It sure felt like the real deal while looking at the stern officers from the security department. She spotted several engineers standing in the corridor outside the room as well, waiting for the first group to be transported down, so they could take place on the transporter pads.

"Where is the captain?" Ensign Royce mopped. "I thought he'd see us off."

Ensign Calley leaned into him and spoke up in a subdued voice. "Why would he do that? He's got other things to do than to satisfy your ego. Besides, he's already a captain and not just our captain, but the captain of our flagship. He can do whatever he wants."

"Okay, that's enough," Doctor Culber said sternly.

Tilly was slightly taken aback. She'd never heard him sound so commanding and admonishing, except for maybe one time when she'd tried to leave sickbay prematurely after an accident.

"The opening scenario should be clear to you all by now. When we've beamed down and everything has been set up, we'll regroup. Saru and I'll give you one final briefing-," the doctor trailed off with a twinkle in his eyes. "-you didn't think I'd give you an unchangeable scenario to work with, did you? As I said, this is to simulate a realistic accident."

Royce straightened and smiled. "I like challenges, doctor," he said.

"Well, good, ensign," Hugh said seriously. "I hope that you're up for it."

Ensign Calley snorted in amusement, barely managing a straight face, eliciting a grimace from Royce.

"Are we expected to make due with just this small medical kit in hand, sir?" Ensign Paula asked carefully as he raised it for everyone to see.

"That's the general idea," Hugh replied and turned to the technician at the transporter control. "Get them down there, lieutenant."

He nodded with a smirk. "Will do. I have a feeling they're going to be more humble when they get back onboard again."

Tilly sighed, she was starting to get worried, she had this foreboding feeling. She didn't know why but a lump was starting to form in the pit of her stomach and she suddenly wished the captain had been present in the room to assure her everything would be all right.

OOOOOO

Captain Christopher Pike hitched on a breath as he leaned forward in his chair and closed his eyes, a grimace of pain evident on his face.

"_I'm sorry, Chris, it will pass,"_ Vina whispered regrettably as she knelt next to him and let go of his shoulder. _"It is necessary for us to show you-" _

"Us," he managed through clenched teeth. "You told me to let go the last time I saw you, Vina. In order for me to do that you have to let _me_ go."

She looked at him with a mixture of love and pity. _"It's complicated, Chris. I don't even know where to begin." _

He tried to get his body to respond to the simple command of getting out of the chair but he failed miserably, instead he slumped forward with his forehead pressed to the table-top. There was something about this Vina that wasn't right to him, he couldn't pinpoint what it was but he needed help.

"_Chris,"_ she called softly and reached out for him again.

"No," he whispered between shallow breaths. "Go away."

In that exact moment Ash Tyler walked through the doors to the conference room, a hand draped over his injured side, and halted mid-step in confusion as he tried to get a grip of what he was seeing. A semi-transparent woman whirled around in surprise.

"Hey!" he shouted as he rushed forward to try and grab her but she quickly vanished into thin air, leaving him both astonished and worried at the same time as he cast a quick look at the semi-conscious superior officer before him.

Ash didn't waste any time, he quickly dashed across the room and pushed the intercom button. "Security to conference room two! Medical team to conference room two immediately!" he called over the ship-wide channel.

"_Bridge to conference room two,"_ Saru's voice came over the line almost immediately. _"What's going on?" _

Ash glanced over his shoulder just in time to see Pike slowly straighten in the conference chair with a dazed expression and began to clench and unclench his hand before he reached for the intercom button situated at the table.

"Bridge, this Captain Pike. There is no need for security nor medical team to get here. Cancel the request," he said seriously yet his voice seemed to lack the usual aura of command.

Saru hesitated at the other end. _"Yes, captain,"_ he said, confusion and surprise evident in his voice.

Ash let go of the intercom button and turned around to face his superior officer, the fear and concern slowly morphing into anger at the override. "What the hell is going on here?" he barked as he closed the distance between them.

Pike grimaced as he managed to get out of his chair and stand up.

Ash gently reached out to steady him as he wobbled slightly. He didn't let go of Pike's arm, not even after he'd made sure the other man wouldn't fall flat on his face. "Captain," he said, now deeply worried. "What is happening?"

"You can let go of my arm, Tyler," Pike said, ignoring the question.

Ash didn't budge. "Not until you tell me what's going on here," he pushed.

Pike narrowed his eyes, the usually soft blue color replaced by darkness and steely resolve as he locked on to Ash's dark brown eyes. "I know you work for Section 31, Tyler, but I suspect not even they know the true story concerning Talos IV. It will remain that way until I choose to tell you," he said with a note of warning.

"Talos IV," Ash echoed in surprise. "That planet is forbidden to visit; the entire solar system is forbidden to travel through. It wasn't the first time Spock was there a few weeks ago," he deduced suddenly. "You have been there before, haven't you?"

The door opened to reveal a troubled looking doctor with a medkit in hand. "I seem to be interrupting a very interesting conversation," she said seriously as she'd caught on to the agent's last few words.

"Leave it, Tyler," Pike said through clenched teeth as he snatched his arm free and straightened. "Now is not the time."

The tension in the room was palpable as she made her way over to them, unfazed by the looks of the two officers. Ash turned toward her for a moment and then returned his focus on his superior officer. He was amazed to see that the captain appeared his normal self again, the slightly flushed cheeks had regained the normal color tone of healthy skin, even the thin sheen of perspiration seemed to have vanished from his forehead and upper-lip within seconds. He took a step back to allow the doctor to run the medical tricorder over the captain.

"You haven't been resting as much as I would have liked," Doctor Pollard finally said, her statement directed at Pike.

Ash did a double take at her and frowned, briefly wondering if she hadn't seen that something was off. He swallowed with a sinking feeling in his stomach as he was reminded of the transformation of Captain Leland which turned him into the monster he'd run into on the Section 31 ship and felt a chill down his spine.

"Doctor," he called seriously but his eyes never left the captain. "I want you to take Captain Pike off active duty."

"Under what regulation would she do that?" Pike asked calmly, his voice back to the normally kind and soft tone.

Tracy frowned curiously as she turned to Tyler.

"Can you confirm that it _is_ Captain Pike who's standing in front of me?" he asked coldly.

The doctor looked even more confused as she looked from Tyler to Pike and then back again. She took another look at the readings she'd taken moments ago. "Care to enlighten me of the reason as to why Captain Pike shouldn't be Captain Pike?" she asked.

"Just because Captain Leland merged with 'control' doesn't mean-," Pike reasoned.

"No," Ash shook his head, interrupting him and turned to the doctor. "There was a woman here when I arrived; she did something to him."

"You know," Tracy began seriously. "I'm hereby relieving you both of active duty. You're to report to your respective quarters and rest until I say otherwise."

Pike sighed in annoyance. "Doctor Pollard," he began.

Tracy fixed him with a glare as she stabbed a finger at him. "That was a direct order, captain," she said. "I'll notify Commander Saru before he leaves the ship and recommend that Commander Burnham takes command of this vessel for the time being."

Tyler pursed his lips into a thin line of displeasure as he turned on his heels and headed for the door without another word.

"Captain," Tracy said, her voice softer as she reached for his arm. "Something has made Agent Tyler deeply upset and troubled. It takes a fair amount of trouble to get someone working for Section 31 to get that riled up without a reason."

Pike ran a tired hand over his face and sighed. "I can't tell either of you," he whispered wearily. "It's classified."

"If it concerns your health, I'll make it top priority and break into the classified parts of your medical file if I have too," she assured him seriously.

"I don't think it'll come to that," he answered with a smirk, then arched an eyebrow at her. "You aren't actually going to escort me back to my quarters, are you?"

Doctor Pollard gave him a soft yet cunning smile as she steered him in the direction of the door. "That's exactly what I intend to do, captain," she said.

OOOOOO

Spock didn't waste any time, he quickly turned on the scanner and began to take readings as soon as they'd materialized on the planets' surface. Nhan let her eyes roam the vicinity several times until she was certain she didn't spot anything out of the ordinary.

"Well I'd be damned," Reno muttered as she took in her surroundings. "Looks like some tropical beach club, the bar is the only thing missing around here."

"Don't forget the pool," Nhan said with a smirk as she passed the engineer.

Jett huffed. "Who needs a pool? I want the liquid to burn down my throat, not soothe my skin," she replied cockily.

"This way," Spock said in an even voice as he began to walk through the green and lush vegetation toward what looked like a mountain chain in the far distance.

"You're not planning on hiking all the way over there, are you?" Reno quipped.

"Unfortunately, _Discovery_ couldn't get a transporter lock closer than this due to the interference," the Vulcan informed, not the least bothered by the snarky tone from the engineer.

"By all means, onwards then," she muttered and took the lead.

Spock suddenly stopped, nearly causing Nhan to bump into him from behind. "What is it?" she asked.

"For a moment several life-signs appeared on my screen," he explained. "When I try to pull up that sequence on the display again, there is nothing there."

The Chief of Security shrugged but nevertheless tightened her grip on the hilt of the phaser that was locked in her hip holster. "Maybe it was a figment of your imagination," she suggested.

"Vulcan's don't imagine things, Commander Nhan," he cautioned.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _


	9. Darkness is Coming

**Chapter Nine**

_Darkness is Coming _

"_Captain," Number One reported seriously. "Long range sensors are picking up an object traveling at an intercept course." _

_Sitting in his chair, he looked up from the report he was about to sign and narrowed his eyes, trying to spot something on the view screen. "Red Alert," he commanded. "Number One, magnify please." _

_She pushed a series of buttons and did a few corrections until the object became visible to the naked eye. _

_Spock leaned in over the retractable scanner array at his station and tried to analyze it. _

"_Let's see if it follows," Pike said. "Evasive maneuvers, pattern beta six, Number One." _

"_Yes, sir," she replied. _

"_Lieutenant Amin, increase our speed to warp factor five," he ordered. _

"_Warp factor five, sir," she reported. _

_The Enterprise smoothly accelerated within an instant but the object was still closing in, getting bigger on the view screen. _

"_Still following us, sir," Number One informed. "I've decreased magnification to zero." _

"_Interesting," Spock said. _

"_Care to elaborate, Mr. Spock?" Pike asked curiously as he unconsciously gripped the armrests of his chair. _

"_It's matching our course and speed," Lieutenant Amin reported. _

"_It's too small to be out here alone," he reasoned. "There must be a mothership of some kind." _

"_No," Spock informed flatly. _

_He quickly jumped out of the chair and headed up to stand next to his science officer. As he did, the Vulcan let go of the scanner array and turned to him. "I don't understand, captain, it's one of our probes," he said. _

_He froze for a moment, not sure he'd heard the lieutenant correctly. He spun around and watched as the smaller black object now filled the view screen. "Nicola! Tell the crew to brace for impact" he shouted as he grabbed hold of the railing. "Full stop, Number One!" _

_She stabbed a finger at the console as she braced herself. The large vessel instantly dropped out of warp, several sparks sizzled in the air as circuits blew from the hefty maneuver. _

_Lieutenant Nicola flew across the room as he lost his grip on the console before him and two ensigns at the stations opposite the communication's officer where thrown to the floor as well. _

_Pike grimaced as he felt his arm snap out of its socket. He fought the haze of pain as his eyes started to prickle with tears. "Report!" he managed through clenched teeth. _

"_It overshot, sir!" Number One shouted over the klaxons. _

_He breathed a sigh of relief. _

"_It has locked on to us," Spock cautioned, once again scanning the immediate area around the ship through his sensors. _

"_Probes don't hunt starships," Pike reasoned seriously, his statement directed at his science officer. "What is it doing?" _

"_Waiting for the kill probably," Number One quipped. _

_An eerie silence settled over the bridge as all the alarms and klaxons turned silent all at once. He glanced around the room forebodingly and swallowed as he got a clear picture of the sleek black object on the view screen. It had enhancements but there was no mistake about the origin of the probe. It bore the markings of Starfleet Command, science directory, deep space department, complete with a serial number. _

_Something in his mind told him to run, to get the hell out of there, as fast as he could. "Warp factor nine!" he ordered as he set his jaw and pursed his lips into a thin line of displeasure. _

_The large vessel shuddered and then leaped forward, the stars turning into streaks. _

"_It's following us, captain," Spock reported flatly, although, he could easily hear both the warning note and surprise in his science officer's tone of voice. _

"_Damage report!" he called, both annoyed and confused, as he tried to assess the situation. They were alone in deep space, there was nothing in the region, nothing at all. Why and how was the probe there? Had it been seeking the Federation somehow? Had it recognized the Enterprise? Who had performed the enhancements and why? There were a million questions competing for his attention at the moment but he didn't have time for any of them, his focus was solely on survival. _

"_Sickbay to bridge!" a familiar voice boomed suddenly. "What is going on up there?" _

_Without thinking he let go of the railing, leaned toward his chair and stabbed a finger at the intercom button. "Not now, Phil!" he shouted. _

_An ominous clang echoed through the ship only to be followed by two more that vibrated through the hull before all hell broke loose around him. He was literally body-slammed into the ceiling as the ship fell out of warp and rolled. Alarms went off all around him and gravity control went offline. He bounced back at the ceiling before the ship stabilized and then he fell, crashing hard against the railing. The air was forced out of his lungs and he bit his tongue as he felt several ribs snap under the pressure to his side. He gasped as he sagged to the floor and remained unmoving between his chair and the rail. Time seemed to slow in a moment of crisis and he watched, mesmerized, as the probe exploded before his very eyes. It peppered the hull with debris and fragments, decompressed one of the lower cargo decks, ripped the port nacelle open, slit a whole in the saucer section close to the bridge and blew out the deflector dish. _

"_Hull breach on decks eleven and twenty-one!" Spock shouted to make himself heard over the alarms. "Severe damage to the port nacelle and engineering circuit bay. Main power relay station out of commission. Several bulkheads have blown, crewmen are trapped in engineering. Power has been cut to the aft decks-" _

_He tried to listen but the darkness that had threatened to claim him for several minutes finally closed in on him and his head lolled to the side as he gave in to the blissful oblivion; away from the pain that seemed to fry every nerve end he had. _

Captain Christopher Pike woke up with a start and gasped, breathing heavily, entangled in his sheets, his body soaked in perspiration and his hair damp against his forehead. White hot pain radiated down his injured side and shoulder, just like it had a year ago; just like it had only two days ago. He stared down his bruised torso and collarbone and noticed the creepy resemblance to what he'd just relived. It was almost the same type of injuries only; he'd been luckier this time.

When the probe hit the _Enterprise_ he received a moderate concussion, dislocated his shoulder, broke several ribs, punctured his lung and ruptured his spleen. To say that his friend and CMO, Philip Boyce, had been angry and upset with him was a mild understatement. The good doctor had been reading him the riot for not securing himself on the bridge as soon as he'd opened his eyes that awful night in the overcrowded sickbay.

Pike sighed and forced himself to calm down, to breathe, as he reached for a glass of water at his bedside table and a bottle of pills that Doctor Pollard had left with him. He disliked medication but he'd make an exception tonight. It was better than to call on the doctor's attention as he feared she would admit him and keep him under close observation if she saw what state he was in.

OOOOOO

Reno huffed then rolled her eyes and ran a hand over her forehead to get rid of the thin sheen of perspiration for what seemed like the umpteenth time in the last hour. "Seriously, that mountain must be shifting position, it's like the fucking rainbow," she muttered.

Spock turned around and arched an eyebrow as he glanced up from his scanner to look at her. "Rainbow?" he echoed. "I fail to see-,"

"Exactly my point," Reno interrupted sourly as she grabbed a water bottle from her backpack. "They say it's a treasure at the end of the rainbow, every kid fall for it, you know. It's just that the rainbow is created by the refraction of sunlight and constantly shifts position – you'll never reach the end of the rainbow."

Nhan patted the engineer on her back as she gently tugged at her flake vest, trying to ventilate some of the heat accumulated underneath it. "I don't think it's that far now, Reno," she said amusedly.

"According to my latest scans we're approaching the mountains from northeast, the distance is calculated to one kilometer," Spock informed politely.

Reno snorted as she began to clear the way from branches. "The vegetation is thickening. I don't suppose anyone brought a machete?" she drawled.

"There is a clearing this way," Nhan said and pointed to their right.

Reno frowned in confusion. "That's not possible," she mumbled. "I'm pretty sure it wasn't there the last time I checked."

"Have another clunk of water, Jett," Nhan offered with a kind smile and nodded at Spock. "What about life-signs? Have you-"

Jett waved a hand at her lazily and grimaced as she cut her off. "No, no, dear, there's no one here but us," she said sarcastically. "If the scanner hasn't recorded anything it's because there's nothing there. It's as simple as that. I trust technology, it's logical."

"Fascinating," Spock noted, completely ignorant to the engineer's remark, as he took another look at the small display on the scanner.

"What is?" Reno muttered.

"We're standing above a large underground complex of tunnels stretching for miles in every direction," he replied.

That piqued the engineer's interest. "Really?" she said. "Is there a way in?"

OOOOOO

Doctor Tracy Pollard sighed and let out a yawn as she closed the last medical file on her tablet. It wasn't because of the late hour or because she was bored that she felt tired. It was due to the fact that she'd been working double-shifts, delta and alpha, and then she'd lingered trying to catch up on her paperwork until it was well into the beta shift. She yawned again as she put her elbows on the desk and placed her palms over her eye sockets as she took a deep breath.

Her mind wandered back to the conversation she'd caught onto between Tyler and Pike and she found herself being curious, not for the first time, about what had really transpired on Talos IV that caused Starfleet to restrict travels and place it under general order seven.

She straightened in her chair, her finger hovering over the search-button on the tablet for a moment. She hesitated, it wasn't her place to snoop, then curiosity got the better of her and she called up the crew manifest and clicked on the captain's name.

The screen lit up almost immediately, displaying a picture of Captain Christopher Pike in his yellow uniform tunic. He looked younger at the picture, unburdened by the responsibility that rested upon his broad shoulders and there were no faint lines of worry creasing his forehead.

"Christopher Pike, born 2205, Mojave, Earth. Serial number SC127-0014ETP. Rank Captain, year 2250 – present. Assigned to the _USS Enterprise_. In temporary command of _USS Discovery_,-" she skimmed the pages until she got to his service record. Tracy couldn't help but to notice how many medals he had received during his career. "Starfleet Medal of Valor, Order of Tactics, Legion of Honor, Star Cross Starfleet Silver Palm," she read aloud and it didn't stop there. The young doctor scrolled down until she reached the medical chapter of the file and clicked on it.

The words 'Restricted file, authorized personnel only,' flashed on the screen. She punched in her serial number and unlocked the medical section. Intrigued, she skimmed through the text. She'd accessed it before, when he had been injured on Terralysium, but then she'd only updated it with new information.

It soon became clear to her that Pike had had his share of injuries because the dossier was thicker than most and it ranged from a sprained ankle to third degree phaser burns and life-threatening conditions. However, she couldn't find anything that really stood out from the rest.

Disappointed that she didn't seem to find what she was looking for she began to type key words, such as Talos IV. 'Filed entry classified,' suddenly appeared on the screen. Intrigued, she straightened in her chair. She stabbed a finger at the single line text and frowned at the level of security. Not only was it classified; it was top level. No one onboard the _Discovery_ would be able to access it. She doubted anyone could access it at all except for Doctor Boyce and the Chief Medical Officer at Starfleet Medical back on Earth.

"What happened to you back there, captain?" she whispered.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _


	10. Prelude to Disaster

**Chapter Ten **

_Prelude to Disaster _

Ensign Sylvia Tilly blinked several times and was just about to pinch her arm, to see if she was dreaming, as she stared at the lush green surroundings with joy. She'd never seen such beauty in nature before.

"I thought Commander Burnham said there had been some kind of disaster here that extinguished all sentient life," Ensign Royce said. "I had imagined it to be a barren and cold landscape."

"Beauty can be dangerous," Portland reminded the others. "Look what happened to Lieutenant Malone a few days ago when he tried to hit on Yeoman Adams."

Calley snorted. "He got what he deserved," she replied.

"What?" Tilly asked intrigued. "What happened?"

A whistle suddenly sounded a slight distance away, calling on their attention.

"Later," Calley promised as Commander Saru waved at them.

The four CPT participants quickly joined the Kelpien as Culber and two nurses materialized behind him with four large bags containing medical equipment.

Saru nodded with a faint smile. "Ensigns Tilly, Calley, Royce and Portland. Welcome to the medical excursion. You have been briefed about the general situation but you haven't been given any details."

"And that is because I want this to be as authentic as possible," Doctor Culber added seriously as he walked up to join Saru.

"So, we're here to assist an away team that has been missing for several hours. Communication has been severed for the last thirty minutes," Ensign Calley recited from the earlier briefing.

"We're to assume there are hostile aliens in the vicinity as well," Ensign Royce added.

"You are correct," Hugh replied seriously.

"Ensigns Royce and Portland," Saru said. "You'll team up with Lieutenant Barnes from the security department and search for the missing team under his guidance."

"Yes, sir," they echoed, ready to take off at a run.

"Not so fast," Saru cautioned. "You'll start on the same signal and you'll have two hours to complete your task. Ensigns Tilly and Calley, you'll be assigned to Lieutenant Lesley from the engineering department while you look for the missing team."

"We'll come looking for you when you have gotten lost," Royce called confidently at the two women and their leading officer.

"I do hope I don't have to remind you, that as an aspirant for captaincy, it is important to see the crew as a _unit_ that benefits from each other and work toward the same goal," Saru said kindly. "This is not a competition Ensign Royce. This is a challenge that will test your skills in medicine, your teamwork capabilities and your ability to lead others and to take orders from a superior officer. All parameters will be evaluated."

Culber retrieved his communicator and pulled it open as a low chirp could be heard. "Go ahead," he said.

"_Everything has been set, doc. Tell the kids to come looking for us,"_ a voice replied from the other end.

Culber nodded toward Saru.

The Kelpien nodded back and then returned his focus on the CTP participants. "Listen up everyone. Three hours ago we lost contact with the landing party. We have reason to believe that they encountered hostilities. Sensors have pinpointed the location within five miles from here, something is interfering with the ship's systems so we can't beam them back onboard. You'll have to find them and bring them back with you. Furthermore, we have reason to believe they have been injured, please proceed with caution," he said seriously.

Hugh shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest as the eager students took off in various directions. The doctor walked up to stand next to the commander and gave him a tight smile. "I do hope they take it easy in this heat. It feels like I've beamed into the subtropical botany department with my parka on," he said.

Saru nodded absentmindedly.

"You look troubled," Hugh said.

The Kelpien turned to him. "I've been meaning to talk to you," he said cryptically. "In private."

The doctor shrugged and motioned for him to follow as he left the nurses and security officers behind. "What's the matter, Saru? Are you feeling unwell?" Hugh asked in concern.

"I'm worried about Captain Pike," he said seriously as they were out of earshot.

"Why?" Culber asked as he narrowed his eyes at him. "Is there something I should know about?"

"I might be overreacting but when I had a word with the captain in the conference room earlier, I sensed something was off. Even though I have gone through the process of Vaha'ri, I can still sense underlying emotions. I can't explain it but the captain was radiating pain and not just physical pain. Have you seen him up close today? He looks ill."

Hugh sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Even though he's good at keeping up appearances and have a high threshold for pain, he wouldn't be able to fool my instruments," he mused. "But I have to admit that I was surprised at the collapse in sickbay after the away mission. I know he was hurt but those injuries wouldn't necessary cause such fatigue and certainly not overtax his system the way it did. At first I feared he'd picked up some kind of bug while on the planet but then his vitals began to stabilize and return to normal."

"Forgive me, doctor, but can there be something wrong with your medical tricorder?" Saru asked. "The captain's complexion have a greyish tone that is far from healthy."

Hugh pursed his lips into a thin line of displeasure. "I'll have a word with Tracy," he said.

OOOOOO

Even though Michael Burnham tried to keep it all bottled up inside, her friends could easily see and understand that her emotions were in turmoil. She'd received a clean bill of health after her little stunt to lure the 'Red Angel' to Essof IV but never in her wildest dreams did she imagine what would come out of it.

She had mourned her mother's and father's deaths since the last time she'd seen them. Time had erased most of the psychological pain and the horror she'd felt when the Klingon's barged into their house. The screams that had kept her awake at nights no longer troubled her. However, to find out that her mother had been alive all the time and that she'd tried to save the universe all by herself made Michael both proud and flabbergasted at the same time and, not to mention, filled with sorrow and a sense of melancholy.

To find out that her parents had been lying to her about their work didn't exactly help her to come to terms with all the other lies she'd heard over the years. She didn't trust easily, she never had, but she really wanted to believe in people; wanted to be able to be vulnerable and rely on others.

Her Captain, Philippa Georgiou, whom she'd believed to be her friend, had turned against her at the Battle of the Binary Star. The organization which she'd loved to serve, which she'd come to place her trust in, had accused her of being the catalyst; the provocative force, that finally ignited the spark and started the Federation-Klingon war. Captain Gabriel Lorca had saved her from her sentenced punishment and requested her presence onboard the newly commissioned _USS Discovery_ only to deceive all of them later. The man whom she'd believed to be her soulmate turned out to be someone else entirely, a spy for the Klingons, a broken and lost soul who didn't seemed to belong anywhere.

She'd finally reunited with her brother Spock but their relationship was strained and it would take time to repair the schism that she'd caused. Despite everything that fate had handed her and the difficulties she'd experienced, there were a handful of people whom she trusted. However, she feared that, as soon as mutual trust was established, they'd either turn against her or get themselves killed. The latter had recently happened to Airiam.

That was why she hesitated at the deceased commander's door, her finger poised over the button to override the lock to her quarters. The augmented woman had had her share of misery, pain and despair but still managed to be positive, fun and loving. She had cared deeply for her friends, she'd made everyone comfortable with her warm personality despite her physical appearance.

Michael took a deep breath and steeled herself as she pushed the button and entered her access code to unlock the sealed quarters. She would always remember Airiam's frantic voice; how she'd begged her to kill her without mercy. She had desperately tried to find another way, to find a solution that would have saved her friend. In the end, Commander Nhan had done her a favor by spacing Airiam, making the decision for her. That day Michael had lost a part of herself; she'd failed her friend and failed to carry out a direct order. It had taken her days to come to terms with what had happened right in front of her on that awful space station.

She shuddered she entered the room. The room looked just like the last time she'd been there to talk to her friend. The picture of Airiam and her husband together on the beach stood on the drawer and the tiny bottle of sand stood on her desk. A clean uniform lay draped over the bed and over the stool, next to her desk, lay a beautiful black dress that Airiam had picked for the midnight party that got canceled after her tragic demise. Michael felt like she was intruding even though she knew Airiam would never return. Michael's eyes was involuntarily drawn to the docking station where her friend had stored her memories and felt her mood plummet as she saw that everything had been erased from the memory banks of the _Discovery._

Michael hitched on a breath as her eyes began to sting with unshed tears. She was too late, she'd hoped she'd find something about the Arax system stored in the commander's quarters because Airiam had seemed so fascinated with it just before she'd died. She let out a quivering breath as she turned to leave but halted mid-step as she spotted a few tablets next to the bed. Curious she went over to them and picked them up, wondering what kind of data they contained.

OOOOOO

Nhan and Reno both stopped as they reached, what appeared to be, a sealed off entrance to the underground complex. Spock came to a halt next to them a few seconds later, glancing down at the small display on his instrument.

Reno grimaced and slapped a hand at the back of her neck with a thud. "Mosquitos," she drawled in annoyance.

"There is no one here but us," Spock quoted. "I believe that were your exact words, Commander Reno."

"Stop twisting my words around, would you?" she replied. "I was talking about humans."

"Then your definition of life is not-"

"Whatever," the engineer interrupted smartly.

"Lieutenant Spock," Nhan spoke up diplomatically. "Have you been able to deduce what's on the other side of this seal?"

He looked from Jett to Nhan and then at his scanner. "I can only see that far. However, there appears to be several tunnels and they do not end for at least two kilometers."

Nhan smirked and glanced down at her computer bracelet. "Our next checkpoint is ten minutes away. I suggest that we contact the ship before moving into the complex."

"Ten minutes," Reno echoed cockily. "Honey, it's going to take us_ hours_ to shift all this stuff."

Spock suddenly turned around and disappeared to their left, his eyes never leaving the scanner. The two women shared a look of confusion and then set off to follow.

The Vulcan was following a well-worn path that seemed to zig-zag through the terrain, he said nothing as he was deeply concentrated on the display on his handheld scanner.

A chill went down Nhan's spine as laughter filled the air around them. She stopped dead in her tracks and snatched up her phaser from the holster. Worriedly, she glanced around the immediate area and gasped as a man suddenly appeared next to her, clad in rags.

Reno threw a rock at the man and frowned in surprise as it seemed to pass right through him. "I've never seen such a realistic projection," she stated.

"The life-signs are back," Spock reported as he glanced around with an arched eyebrow.

Both Reno and Nhan threw themselves to the ground as a small object fell from the sky and slammed into a tree trunk next to them. An explosion followed that set the closest underbrush and vegetation on fire while the ground shook from the violent impact.

"Where did that come from?" Nhan shouted.

"Space!" Reno filled in as she got up again and grabbed hold of the chief of security's arm in order to haul her upright. "I hope _Discovery_ is not under attack."

"I can't reach them," Spock replied, having flipped open his communicator. "There is too much interference."

"Over there!" Reno commanded as she pointed toward a smaller entrance to the tunnel complex. "I love coincidences."

"No, it's impossible. It wasn't there the last time I checked," Spock said.

Another small object smacked into the ground only inches from Nhan's feet and she sprang to action, grabbing hold of the handle at the front of Reno's flake vest to haul the engineer out of the way as she pushed Spock forward at the same time. "Let's go!" she shouted with urgency.

The trio quickly made it to the entrance and went inside. Reno panted as she placed her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath, while Nhan leaned against the rocky surface of the wall and closed her eyes briefly. Spock steadied himself as another blast went off outside, causing a slide of rocks and dirt to rain down over the entrance. There was nothing they could do but to watch helplessly as their dash toward safety was slowly turning into a dash toward entrapment.

"We have to get out!" Nhan ordered as she opened her eyes again to see the entrance quickly filling up with rocks and soil.

"It's too late for that," Reno replied calmly and then shook her head. "Well, we wanted to see what's inside this place. I guess now's a golden opportunity to do some exploration."

OOOOOO

Christopher Pike struggled into his uniform and then gingerly ran hand through his damp hair to get it away from his forehead. He was aching all over the place and he'd been plagued by visions all night that he didn't understand. It had something to do with the planet but he didn't understand how Vina was connected to it. He needed help to figure it out, he needed to talk to Burnham and Spock, at least they knew about the Talosians.

He grimaced as his legs gave away and he fell to the floor mercilessly. A moan escaped his lips as he closed his eyes.

"_Chris, you have to stop fighting it,"_ Vina whispered as she appeared next to him.

He redoubled his efforts to get up at hearing her voice and managed to stand upright again just as Doctor Pollard entered his quarters using her medical override. A faint smile creased his lips as he saw the doctor.

"Captain," she said worriedly as she took a step toward him. She grabbed him by the arm as he sagged against her. Her concern grew as she felt the heat radiating from him.

"Help- me," he croaked hollowly.

Unable to keep him upright by herself the young doctor slowly sank to her knees under his full weight and gently lowered him to the floor. "Captain Pike," she called seriously.

When he remained unresponsive she hastily rummaged through her medkit and retrieved the medical tricorder she'd brought with her and ran it over him. To her surprise it didn't record anything out of the ordinary, it hummed and gave a green light. Stunned she let go of it and reached out to take his pulse the old fashioned way and almost forgot to breathe herself as she didn't find one.

"Come on, captain, wake up" Tracy urged. "Captain Pike!"

"_You have to let go, Chris,"_ Vina whispered softly. _"I won't hurt you. I promise."_

Pictures flashed through his mind, assaulted him, his head hurting. He tried to hang on to reality but after a while, he didn't know what was real and what wasn't. His head lolled to the side as he finally gave in to Vina's wishes and let go.

Doctor Pollard desperately got up from the floor and stabbed her finger at the intercom button "Medical emergency, captain's quarters!" she shouted. "Emergency beam out to Sickbay now!"

OOOOOO

_To be continued_


	11. Entrapment of Mind and Body

**Chapter Eleven **

_Entrapment of Mind and Body _

Ensign Tilly came to a halt, glanced over her shoulder in confusion and then back at the scanner in hand.

Seeing the young woman hesitate, Lieutenant Lesley backtracked the small distance he'd gotten ahead of the CTP participant. "Ensign Tilly," he said kindly yet his voice held a stern tone. "We have to get a move on, people are depending on us."

"I'm sorry, sir," she said. "I just wanted to make sure we're heading in the right direction."

"The other team took off in another direction," Ensign Calley pointed out.

"You did estimate a location based on the facts you were given during the briefing, Ensign Tilly. Are you saying you are wrong in your assessment of the situation?" the lieutenant asked.

Tilly shook her head in frustration as she continued to watch the scanner. "No, sir," she replied with sudden anxiety. "It's just that we're not alone."

Calley stiffened and carefully glanced around the immediate area, expecting to find someone lurking in the underbrushes.

Lesley reached for his own scanner and frowned.

"What is your assessment, sir?" Tilly asked carefully as she stared at the small display that seemed to fill with life-signs as they spoke.

"I'll have to assume that it's part of the scenario set up by Commander Saru and Doctor Culber. However, we're to proceed with caution," Lesley ordered. "You both know how to use a phaser, don't you?"

"Ye-, yes, sir," Ensign Calley replied as she reached for the one strapped to her leg holster. "Commander Nhan taught us everything we need to know."

"Good, make sure they're set to stun, otherwise we might have real casualties before all this is over," Lesley said dryly.

"What about the team we're supposed to rescue?" Tilly asked.

"One thing at a time, ensign," he cautioned. "Keep your head down and stay cool."

"_Hrg, sfjphy!" _

A chill ran down the length of Tilly's spine as she tightened her grip around the handheld scanner at the unfamiliar words. "Did you hear that?" she whispered.

"There is something wrong with the universal translator," Calley said with dread as she backed up to stand back-to-back with Tilly.

"_Take cover,"_ a clear voice echoed over the landscape.

"Okay," Tilly mused forebodingly, "That was Starfleet standard English."

Calley hitched on a breath as men and women came running towards them in panic, appearing out of nowhere. She steeled herself as they continued their mad dash toward the trio of Starfleet officers.

"Hold your fire," Lesley ordered.

"No," Tilly whispered flabbergasted as she glanced down at the scanner, the display was empty. "This is not real. It can't be real."

OOOOOO

"Michael," Ash called. "There is something you ought to see."

He stepped away as she walked up to him and eyed him wearily before she glanced down at the computer terminal.

"I fed the data Airiam had collected into the computer and tried to clean the file," he explained darkly.

She stiffened with dread as she stared at the text that was being translated into English. "Restricted zone, warning buoys deployed," she read in a subdued voice. "Arax VI is a dead world, plagued by the horrors of the past. A monument has been raised on the southern continent in remembrance of those of lost their lives."

Ash said nothing as he called up a few images of the planet recorded by the sphere. "This was taken almost eight thousand years ago," he said gloomily.

Michael stared at the barren wasteland that was once Arax VI's southern continent and gulped as a picture of the other side of the planet was displayed. "That must have been the cause for the extinction of all life," she noted sadly as she took in the large crater that seemed to dig deep into the insides of the planet."

"Whatever hit the planet must have disturbed the entire ecosystem. Not only that, look at this. It seems like the entire orbit trajectory around the sun has shifted," Ash informed and shuddered. "For those who survived the disaster there was no escape. Imagine the Armageddon actually happening."

"The fact that the planet is able to sustain life a relatively short period of time after that kind of disaster is amazing," she said. "It must have stabilized itself somehow."

"I didn't know that was even possible," Ash admitted.

"Nor did I," Michael whispered hollowly.

"_Commander Burnham, please report to the bridge immediately,"_ Bryce called seriously over the ship-wide communications system.

They shared a troubled look before she reached for the intercom. "This is Commander Burnham. What's going on?"

"_We've lost contact with the away team,"_ he reported grimly. _"We've tried to reestablish contact on regular intervals for the last three hours – we've drawn a complete blank." _

"What about Commander Saru and Doctor Culber?" she asked quizzically.

"_I am unable to reach anyone down on the surface at the moment,"_ Bryce replied.

Michael sighed, suddenly feeling very grateful the captain was still onboard. "I'm on my way. Call Captain Pike to the bridge."

There was a moment of hesitation._ "I'm sorry, commander,"_ the communication's officer said. _"Captain Pike has been taken to sickbay; his condition is serious." _

Michael swallowed as a lump started to form in the pit of her stomach. She was suddenly torn between wanting to run to sickbay and to head up on the bridge. "Why wasn't I told!" she asked incredulously, barely managing to keep her voice down.

"Go to the bridge," Ash suggested seriously as he rushed to the door. "I'll head down to sickbay."

OOOOOO

Vina was smiling at him. No, she was beaming at him, her long eyelashes flashing and there was a sparkle of delight in her eyes as she reached out with her hand to touch him_. "Chris,"_ she called softly.

He stared at her in confusion for a moment before reaching out to take her petite hand into his. He felt no pain, nor was he affected by any kind of illness. He stared at his immediate surroundings with caution as he realized he was back on the planet's surface. A soft breeze gently caressed his skin and tousled his damp hair. The lush green vegetation surrounding them wiggled with the wind, creating a soft whooshing sound.

She beckoned for him to follow, when he didn't, she turned back to gently tug at his hand.

He hesitated. "Vina," he began carefully, still hesitant, "This is not real."

She stopped and turned around to face him again with a look of disappointment. _"It is as real as it can be, Chris,"_ she explained softly. _"Please, come with me. There is something we need to show you." _

He gasped suddenly and got down on one knee as a jolt of pain assaulted every fiber in is body. He clenched his teeth and hissed as he closed his eyes.

"_He's crashing!" _a familiar voice shouted.

Pike's eyes shot open in surprise at the words spoken.

"_Let go, Chris,"_ Vina said as she gently squeezed his shoulder. _"It's going to be all right." _

The captain gritted his teeth and shook his head. "No," he replied stubbornly as he pushed her away and struggled to get back on his feet.

"_Again!" _the voice ordered.

Another jolt shook his body and it was with morbid fascination he realized that the voice belonged to Doctor Pollard. He steeled himself and then nearly crumpled as pain began to radiate through him again, assaulting him from every direction.

"_Chris,"_ Vina called dejectedly as she reached for him. _"Come back to me."_

"I don't know who you are but you're not Vina," he managed through gritted teeth.

"_You are resilient,"_ she whispered sadly. _"Stronger-"_

"_Captain?"_ Doctor Pollard called from a faraway distance.

He stumbled as he took another step away from the woman he'd come to love on Talos IV and crashed to the ground as his legs refused to hold him. The grass felt smooth and damp to his skin as it embraced him, cushioning his fall.

"_Chris,"_ Vina begged softly.

"An illusion of an illusion," he whispered wearily as an enigmatic smile began to crease his lips. 'God,' he thought. 'He was so screwed.'

She looked hesitated for a moment; a moment too long.

Instead of avoiding the pain that threatened to send him into oblivion he reached out for it, wanting to embrace it, thereby doing the opposite of what Vina expected him to do.

"Good…bye," he whispered as _Discovery's_ sickbay was starting to take form around him.

"_We'll meet again, Chris,"_ she said seriously as she faded out of existence with the rest of the green landscape that had surrounded them both. _"It's the only way, the only way, the only way." _

He blinked his eyes open, not realizing he'd closed them in the first place, only to find Tracy Pollard hovering over him with an expression of great concern mixed with relief.

The doctor sighed wearily and ran a hand over her face as she realized he was looking at her. "Captain," she managed. "Welcome back."

Ash Tyler suddenly appeared at his bedside and patted him on the shoulder. "You look pretty good for a dead man, captain," he said with wry grin.

Pike stared at the Section 31 agent with a dumbfounded expression. "I'm sorry?" he stated in confusion.

"You'd better be," the doctor muttered and then added slyly. "To pronounce a superior officer dead doesn't look good on the record, sir."

"I don't understand," he managed in a subdued voice as he tried to prop himself up on an elbow.

Pollard and Tyler shared a look of concern and gently cooperated in hindering him from rising even an inch from his flattened position by pushing him down from each side of the bed.

"Okay," Pike said softly, his voice strained as he glanced down his unzipped uniform tunic and his ruined undershirt, noticing for the first time the tiny electrodes attached to his chest. "I'll just stay put then."

Ash looked from Pike to Pollard seriously and the doctor gave him a faint nod, indicating that the immediate danger had passed.

He nodded back and headed over to the intercom button, mounted on the wall a few clicks away.

Pike stared after him.

"He's going to notify the bridge that you're still with us," Tracy clarified softly. "How are you feeling?"

He opened his mouth to answer as she stabbed a finger at his bare chest. "And I want the truth this time, captain," she added sternly.

"It's Talos IV all over again and yet it isn't," he marveled in a subdued voice. "I can't explain it."

"Captain, your medical records from Talos IV have been classified. I need you to unlock them for me," she said seriously.

He shook his head and swallowed. "There is nothing in them…that will help you," he replied. "The Talosians are great illusionists-," he trailed off suspiciously. "This is not real either, is it?"

"Captain, what are you talking about?" Ash asked, slightly alarmed at the sudden paranoia, as he returned to his bedside. "This is as real as it gets. Is there something I can do to convince you?"

Pike shook his head sadly and let out a quivering breath. "You have no idea of their capabilities," he replied dejectedly.

"But I have," Michael said as she stepped into the room. "Please, sir, trust me when I say this is real."

She smiled at him and walked up to place a hand on his shoulder, then gave it a gentle squeeze. "Don't you ever try this little stunt again anytime soon," she admonished.

Her stern tone of voice elicited a wry grin from him and his glazed eyes seemed to regain their usual sharpness and twinkle. "Not even the Talosians can project things half across the universe, Burnham. I don't think this is their doing," he said as he tilted his head to face the agent who was standing behind her. "The woman you thought you saw, Tyler, is not whom she appears to be."

"Vina?" Michael stated in surprise as she looked from her captain to Ash and then back again. "Is Vina here?"

Tracy and Ash shared a look of concern and confusion behind the commander's back that didn't go unnoticed by the captain.

"Yes and no," he managed wearily, fighting to keep awake from the ordeal he'd been through.

"Okay, this conversation is over," Doctor Pollard said as she studied her patient closely. He was pale as a ghost, his hair was plastered against his forehead and heat seemed to radiate from him while perspiration glittered across the visible part of his muscled torso. "I'll need to run a battery of tests on you, captain, and then I'm going to keep you under close observation for the time being."

Pollard smirked as she saw the look on his face and before he could start to protest, she stabbed a finger at his chest. "Consider yourself stripped of rank for the moment, sir; in here only the doctor's orders matters," she added seriously.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _


	12. Yesterday

**Chapter Twelve **

_Yesterday _

Despite the tranquility and the beautiful green landscape that surrounded him, Commander Saru was feeling both anxious and uneasy at the same time. A gentle breeze had picked up and begun to soothe his clammy skin, protecting it from the hot and humid climate, as he made his way across the jungle. For a moment he thought he'd heard birds chirping in the air above him but as he glanced up toward the greenish tinted sky there was nothing there.

"Did you hear that?" he asked the two security officers whom was following him.

The two men who'd been strolling lazily only a few seconds ago had tightened their grips around their phasers, both of them scanning the immediate area for signs of danger.

Their behavior told Saru everything he needed to know.

The Kelpien unconsciously trailed his fingers over the area where his threat ganglia's had been and tried to shake off the bad feeling but he didn't succeed. Instead, he got more and more anxious as a shrilling sound echoed across the landscape; the same sound as they'd heard when they'd first set foot on the planet. A large shadow suddenly loamed over them and he ducked behind a large boulder as the security officers raised their phasers to the sky and took aim. A large, ugly-looking reptilian bird dove for them. They simultaneously squeezed the triggers on their phasers before they rolled and threw themselves flat against the nearest cover they could find. They held their breaths as the creature took to the sky again, climbed high in the air and disappeared.

"What the hell was that?" Lieutenant Moss spat as he picked himself up from the ground and gently hauled his superior officer to his feet.

"Forgive me, commander, but I thought you said there was nothing alive down here," Lieutenant Harrison stated with a frown as he brushed off the dirt from his pants.

"No," Saru whispered as he stared in amazement after the animal. He refocused his attention on the officers and frowned in confusion as he detected a faint but well-used trail behind them. He could have sworn it hadn't been there earlier.

The others followed his gaze and Saru sensed their fear of the unknown clearer than he ever had before. He brought up his handheld scanner, unconsciously stiffening as his heart began to beat faster and his pulse started to throb in his ears. He'd fully expected the life-signs to come back but to his relief the display showed nothing that could be classified as something out of the ordinary. "I can't detect anything amiss," he concluded. "No life-signs."

"I do suggest that we contact the ship, sir," Lieutenant Harrison said seriously. "Something's not right down here."

"I believe you're right," he deduced darkly as he reached for his communicator and flipped it open. "_Discovery_, this is Commander Saru, please respond," he called.

They shared a look of surprise as no one answered their hail. Saru tried to boost the signal but to no avail. The ship failed to respond even on his second and third call.

"I think we should backtrack to the transporter coordinates and the medical camp," Lieutenant Moss said.

Saru nodded. "A wise suggestion, lieutenant," he concurred. However, as he turned around to head back the scanner indicated he was going in the wrong direction.

"What's wrong, sir?" Moss asked as he saw his commanding officer hesitate for a moment.

"Either there is something wrong with my sense of direction or something is interfering with our equipment," the Kelpien mused. "My scanner says we're heading in the wrong direction."

"What about short-range communication?" Moss asked curiously. "Can we reach Doctor Culber?"

Saru pulled out his communicator again and flipped it open. "Commander Saru calling Doctor Culber. Come in Doctor Culber," he called calmly yet he felt anything but calm at the moment.

The trio stared at the small gadget in Saru's hand for a moment, all three of them willing for the doctor to reply.

"Doctor Culber, please respond," Saru called again.

Lieutenant Moss pulled out his own communicator, flipped it open, fine-tuned it and put it up next to his mouth to speak. "Doctor Culber, this is Lieutenant Moss, please respond," he urged. He was met with nothing but static for his trouble. The lieutenant sighed and adjusted the frequency. "Lieutenant Moss calling Lieutenant Lesley, come in Lieutenant Lesley."

Lieutenant Harrison and Commander Saru shared a troubled look and then simultaneously shook their heads.

"It would appear that we're on our own," Saru said. "Let's see where the scanner wants us to go."

"Are you suggesting it's a sentient being that directs us through our equipment, commander?" Moss asked curiously with a skeptical look on his face.

"I don't know, lieutenant but the only way to find out is to follow the directions given to us. Is it not? Perhaps it can shed some light on our predicament."

OOOOOO

"These people, whoever they were, they're starting to impress me," Reno admitted as she raised the burning torch high above her head and glanced over her shoulder to see if her two team mates was catching up or trailing behind.

"It is indeed a remarkable accomplishment," Spock said. "The tunnel system is widely stretched. A rough estimation would be 60 kilometers in every direction."

Reno let out a low whistle. "That's huge," she marveled.

"Spock, Reno," Nhan called as she pointed at something hidden in a side tunnel. She took a step into it and disappeared out of sight.

Reno quickly made her way over to what appeared to be a solid wall and brushed her hands over it, in order to find the opening mechanism. "Nhan!" she hollered worriedly.

Spock ran his tricorder over it in search for weaknesses and arched an eyebrow in confusion. "Fascinating," he remarked calmly.

"Fascinating?" Reno echoed. "Is that all you can say? We have to get Nhan out of there."

"According to my readings there is nothing there except a solid wall," he explained flatly.

"Well, obviously there is something wrong with that," she said dryly and nodded at his tricorder.

"I believe it was you who told me to trust technology, Commander Reno," he pointed out.

"I didn't say you couldn't make exceptions," she muttered. "You have to think outside the box sometimes, pointy-ears."

He turned to her with a frown and, if Reno didn't know any better, she'd say she'd caught the faintest of a smile on his lips before he turned around again and walked straight through the wall.

The engineer gaped in astonishment as she hightailed in after him and stared at the wall behind them. "Are you crazy?" she managed. "How did you do that?"

"I was merely thinking outside the box," he answered.

They took in their immediate surroundings in awe for a moment, both of them unable to comprehend what they were looking at.

It was a dome, seemingly stretching for miles above them and it was painted in a bright and beautiful blue-green color that was illuminated from the outside. Beneath it stood tall buildings in various shapes and heights, constituted in a pattern that reminded Spock of the oldest city of Vulcan. The streets were empty and there was not a single sound, no activity, no nothing that created an eerie silence over the underground city that surprisingly chilled Reno to the bone.

"It can't be," the seasoned engineer said as she once again glanced up at the dome. "That is not the real sky, not the real sun. The light must be artificial."

"I agree, that would be the most likely explanation," Spock concurred.

"Where is everybody? And where is Nhan?" Reno asked.

OOOOOO

Michael walked into the captain's ready room and hesitantly took the captain's normal seat at the end of the conference table. She sat straight in the chair and then leaned forward to clasp her hands on the table-top in front of her as she took in the worried faces of communications officer Bryce, operations officer Owosekun, mycologist Stamets, general medical practitioner Pollard and pilot Detmer.

"As you all know," Michael began seriously. "We're missing several senior officers and the captain's condition is deteriorating. The CTP students have gone missing together with several security officers and medical personnel. The away team, consisting of our Chief of Security Commander Nhan, Engineering specialist Commander Reno and Science officer Lieutenant Spock have not been heard of since their first check in yesterday. _Discovery_ has not been able to detect their life-signs at all. However, we can detect distorted life-signs scattered across the surface of the southern continent we just can't pinpoint them or beam them off the planet."

Bryce sighed. "I've been trying to hail them every hour in hope of establishing contact but so far I've got nothing," he explained.

"Why did the red signal lead us here?" Tracy Pollard asked. "What is it we're supposed to do?"

Tyler spoke up. "When Commander Burnham and I went through the sphere data a second time together and compared it to Commander Airiam's notes, we found that Arax VI has a very tragic past. The sphere archive mentions warning buoys-"

"Warning buoys," Stamets interrupted. "I failed to notice any warning buoys when we first got here."

"That is because_ Discovery_ jumped here," Michael explained. "We probably jumped right into the restricted zone without even knowing it."

Ash continued. "The archive mentions a monument on the southern continent but not much more. There are pictures taken and stored in the archive of a meteor strike that caused great distress to the planet's ecosystem and probably played a large part in the possible extinction of all lifeforms."

Michael called up the pictures taken of the planet eight-thousand years before which showed the large crater on the other side of the planet, the barren landscape and a ruined city. Then she called up another picture where the lush green landscape was flourishing.

"How did that happen?" Stamets said in awe. "That kind of terra-formation should take hundred thousands of years."

"Unless it had a little help," Ash said. "We did terraform a moon in order to replenish our supply for the spore drive. It didn't take long."

Stamets looked at him quizzically. "That was a much simpler process."

"Why?" Ash pushed.

"What about taking a shuttle down to the planet?" Bryce interrupted kindly.

"I can't put any more people at risk at the moment," Michael said seriously. "Not if I can avoid it. The senior officers are spread too thin as it is. I need the rest of you here with me."

The intercom suddenly buzzed.

"_This is Ensign O'Malley from meteorology. I'm sorry to interrupt the meeting, commander, but I think you should know that there's a storm front in development on the planet. I've never seen such winds, they're off the charts and rapidly closing in on the southern continent where our people are supposed to be,"_ she reported.

Michael set her jaw and gritted her teeth at the bad news. "Thanks ensign," she replied.

"We have to do something," Stamets said. "We can't leave them down there."

"We won't," she promised, then hesitated for a moment before she began to recite her captain. "Starfleet is a promise. I give my life for you. You give your life for me. We leave no one behind."

The officers around the table straightened in their chairs at the words spoken and determination sparked in their eyes.

"We have family down there; they believe in us, they count on us," she said as she glanced around the table. "Commander Saru, Lieutenant Spock, Doctor Culber, Commander Nhan, Commander Reno, Ensign Tilly, all of them. I will not disappoint any of them. We're going to bring them back. I don't care how long it takes; we leave no behind. We are bringing them back one way or another."

"Hear, hear," Detmer said.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _


	13. Today

**Chapter Thirteen**

_Today_

Tilly screamed as they rushed toward her. She squeezed her eyes shut as the first man came upon her and gasped as he walked right through her. A tingling sensation following as the holographic image continued its mad dash down a well-worn path. She staggered as another one walked through her and then another one and she pried her eyes open only to stare wide-eyed at the enormous amount of people in front of her.

"Tilly!" Ensign Calley shouted as she grabbed her arm and tried to haul her out of the way.

A horrifying scream echoed above them and the two ensigns froze. Lieutenant Lesley aimed the phaser at the sky just as a large reptilian bird came gliding through the air and created a sinister shadow over the green landscape.

"What is this place?" Tilly murmured in astonishment.

Calley finally managed to haul her CTP colleague up and away from the crowd as Lesley covered their six.

The trio stopped for a moment, under a large tree, as the bird and the crowd tried to get rid of each other.

"I don't understand," Calley's voice was quivering as she tightened her grip around the phaser. "Where do they come from?"

"Guys," Tilly whispered as she pointed toward one of the men who seemed to flicker in and out of existence. "I think it's broken. Whatever it is that's projecting this massive illusion-. This is all wrong, it's like being caught up in some bad horror movie."

"Ensign Tilly," the senior officer admonished sharply. "This is not a drill. This is as real as it gets. We'll have to assume this is a hostile scenario. We're stranded on a previously uncharted planet without the means for communication between the teams currently on the surface and we can't contact _Discovery_."

"Don't you think I know that, sir," she replied. "I'm trying to find a reason for the appearances of those,-" she trailed off in frustration. "-and I'm trying to understand how to get out of this situation."

"I don't-," Lesley began in a steely tone.

"No," Calley whispered as she pressed her hands hard against her ears. She sank down on her knees in the high grass and grimaced. "No," she moaned.

The argument instantly forgotten, Tilly and Lesley quickly tried to help. Tilly crouched down next to her and placed her hands on the other woman's shoulders.

"Stay back," Lesley cautioned as blood began to trickle down Calley's nostrils and ears.

Tilly hesitated. "I can't abandon a friend. That's not how it works," she argued and then jumped as Calley's eyes snapped open with a wild look.

"Make it stop," she begged and then anxiously whispered. "Mama, don't go."

Tilly tried to sort out everything she'd learn from the medical briefing and her days at the academy as she rummaged through the bag, in search for the medical tricorder.

"They're gone," Lesley whispered with a frown.

Tilly glanced over her shoulder to see nothing at all; no humanoids, no bird, no ominous rainclouds. The sun suddenly broke through the small white cumulus clouds while the wind gently rustled the green jungle-like vegetation around them, creating a tranquil and peaceful surrounding.

"So many deaths-," Calley whispered. "-the war."

"Calley, can you hear me?" Tilly asked worriedly.

"_Disco_-," she fought to get out the word, "-_very_."

A phaser blast suddenly hit the ensign square in the chest and her world darkened as Lesley and Tilly scrambled to their feet, phasers drawn.

"Wow," Lieutenant Barnes cautioned and held up his hands. "It's only us."

"Are you out of your mind?" Tilly shouted angrily as she stared at the other CTP team. "Are you trying to kill us all?!"

"They interrogated her," Portland stated. "She told them about the Klingon-Federation war and our ship. Protocol states that-"

"To hell with protocol," Tilly said fiercely, both shocked and upset.

"That's enough, both of you!" Lieutenant Barnes commanded in a stern voice. "You've all failed the excursion. This is not about ego, or individuality, and it's certainly not a competition. This is teamwork, our lives depends on teamwork."

Lesley nodded at his colleague from the security department and then motioned for Tilly to come and help him lift Ensign Calley upon his shoulders.

"It's about trust; not distrust," Lieutenant Barnes admonished as he watched the other team get together. "You should take lessons from your CTP colleagues, Ensign Portland. See how they work. Lieutenant Lesley and Ensign Tilly have never worked together before and yet she accepts his leadership, they help their injured colleague and will then assess their situation."

Royce and Portland shared a sheepish look.

"It's not a 'cool factor' to be a leader or to be a captain," Lesley said seriously as he gently shifted Calley's weight across his shoulder and nodded at them, indicating for them to follow. "I know that Captain Pike, Commander Saru, and probably Commander Nhan too, have told you an infinite number of times that leaders have to deal with life and death decisions. They need to be able to order people to their deaths, sacrifice shuttles and supplies, be diplomatic yet know how to fight. It isn't pretty. A leader needs to be measured, calm under pressure and in control of the situation. A leader needs to know when protocols can't be followed, take into consideration what the worst-case scenario might be and be able to do their best in every situation."

Tilly swallowed, her throat dry and her skin clammy.

"No one is born to be a leader but some have a proclivity for it and a natural talent to lead others; to gain trust and to pull off things with bravery and boldness," Barnes told them from the back of the group as he covered their six. "Look at our interim captain for example. I never thought I'd get the opportunity to serve under his command. You know what they say – he's the best captain in the Fleet. Now, I don't accept people just because of their ranks or because of other people's opinions of them, they need to earn my trust and Pike managed that on his first day. A tip is to study his methods, his leadership, and see what he does."

"He believes in people," Lesley said from up front. "He uses every available resource, maximizes it. He doesn't pull rank unless he has to, he accepts that he can't know everything and that is part of what makes him a great man. Pike's not an arrogant bastard, he's not seeking glory, he wants to build a team around him."

"_I give my life for you, you give my life for me,"_ Tilly whispered, quoting said captain, and then spoke up in a clear voice. "But he can't give his life for us, he's vital to the mission, too valuable."

"Your words, ensign, not his," Barnes replied with a smirk.

Tilly sighed anxiously, she would never become a captain. How could _she_, a mere ensign, live up to fill such shoes? A cautious smile suddenly creased her lips as her thoughts wandered from herself to her captain, she wondered how he would have dealt with this situation.

"Where are we heading, sir?" Royce asked curiously.

"To the mountains," Lesley replied. "If the weather continues to be this unpredictable we need to take shelter and it's going to be dark soon."

OOOOOO

"_Chris!" _

_He turned around at the sound of her voice with a frown. Katrina Cornwell was striding toward him, looking like she was on a mission. _

_He appeared somewhat amused as the admiral approached him and came to stand, ramrod straight, opposite him. _

"_If I didn't know you better, I'd get intimidated by that look," he said. "How long have you been following me?" _

_Kat shook her head and smiled before she schooled her expression into professionalism once again. "Captain Pike," she began. "Starfleet Command have been expecting your return for almost a month. According to flight control you were on your way to this ridiculously remote outpost three weeks ago." _

"_My apologies, admiral. May I remind you that my assignment stretches over five years? What's a few weeks here and there," he reasoned with a soft and amused smile on his lips. _

_She narrowed her eyes at him but he took no notice of it as he nodded for her to follow him across the crowded court of vendors. The station was milling with people in various uniforms and civilian clothing. _

_They headed for the plaza and then continued to a more secluded area of the station but it wasn't a secure place for any kind of military or strategic conversation so they continued their small talk as they pressed on. _

"_So, you swing by as you see fit?" she stated. _

_Pike snorted and nodded at her. "Your words, admiral," he said. _

"_It's nice to have you back, Chris," she let on. "Even if it's only for a short period of time while restocking the ship." _

"_I've sent the reports-," he trailed off and shrugged as they walked into a quiet corridor, restricted to authorized personnel only. "- science, medical, command." _

_Katrina smirked. "Yes, you've certainly provided a lot of material for a lot of departments back home to study," she admitted enigmatically. _

_They walked in silence for a moment. Chris let Kat lead the way since he had limited access to certain areas and limited time onboard Deep Space Three. She stopped at a rather anonymous door and entered her access code. The door unlocked to reveal a large conference room connected to a lounge. She gestured for him to take a seat in one of the plush armchairs next to the window. _

"_Is it time for one of your famous talks, admiral?" he asked with a twinkle in his eyes. "I thought you'd stopped counselling these days?" _

_She broke into a grin as she sat down opposite him. "I only take on the toughest cases nowadays, when there is time," she admitted cunningly. _

"_I see," he replied casually. "For a moment I had a feeling this was a mission briefing." _

"_Why don't we combine it?" she suggested. _

"_Kat, I know you care for others and I-" _

"_No, no, Chris. Just because you are - dare I say - the top-ranking captain in the Fleet, you're not getting out of this one. You care for people under your command, more than you care for yourself. That's part of what makes you a valuable asset to the Fleet and a great leader. Luckily, the crew knows your value and protects you from danger." _

_Chris's mood plummeted, he knew where this conversation was going. "I'm fine, Kat. It was Una who took the phaser burn for me," he said. _

_She locked her eyes with his and studied him for a moment. "Exactly," she replied. "And I know you better than you might think. When will you stop blaming yourself for that incident?" _

"_I was reckless, she paid the price," he reasoned coldly. "There really is no excuse for that." _

_Kat shook her head. "Chris," she began seriously. "Una knew what she did and, if I'm to guess, she'd do it again, at any time. That is simply because she likes and respects you – the whole you, not just your leadership style. "Your workplace is unique, you have to rely on each other, place your life in each other's hands, or you'll cease to function out there. The ship is dependent on the command crew - your cooperation and management." _

_The fire that had ignited in Chris's eyes diminished a little and he broke into a bittersweet ghost of a smile as he glanced over her shoulder and out into space. _

"_Now that that's been settled," Kat added lightly. "I have a job for you." _

"_I'm sorry, I already have an assignment," he teased softly with a smirk that accented his dimples. _

_She nodded. "You're a skilled and seasoned officer, you can do two things at a time," she replied. _

_He straightened in his chair and took on the captain's role again, ready for whatever mission the admiral had on her mind. _

_She handed over a tablet with information. _

_He frowned as it required an access code – his access code._

"_For your eyes only," she explained seriously. _

He gasped as his eyes shot open. Alarms chirped next to him and he was back in _Discovery's_ sickbay. He took a few calming breaths as he focused his attention on a spot in the white ceiling above him.

"Captain?" Doctor Pollard said kindly.

"What do they want?" he whispered in confusion.

Tracy frowned, not comprehending. "Who?" she asked as she reached for a cloth nearby and gently wiped his forehead clean of perspiration.

"Thank you," he croaked and fought to keep his eyes open.

"I'm sorry, captain, I don't know how to help you. You've had me worried. Your fever was spiking again an hour ago. Nothing I do seem to work. It's like - whatever it is - has a conscience-"

"Yes. I believe it has," he said, his voice subdued and strained, as he opened his eyes to look at her again. "I'm having trouble sorting reality from illusions. I have only experienced it once before – when I was trapped on Talos IV."

"Captain, please, I need to know what you've been through," she said softly as she quickly scanned the various readings displayed above the biobed. His condition wasn't improving, if anything, it was deteriorating.

Pike shook his head. "They're accessing my memories somehow, sorting them. I have relived the moment when the _Enterprise_ got attacked by the probe that we sent out," he explained and let out a quivering breath. "I was a mess – I dislocated my shoulder, the same shoulder I injured on the away mission. I broke my ribs, the same ribs as I cracked now."

She frowned.

"It hurts," he whispered miserably.

Tracy looked at him sadly as he spoke through gritted teeth. To see him in that amount of pain, as he appeared to be in, and know that he had such a high threshold for pain was disturbing and unsettling.

He chuckled bitterly. "At least I don't have a concussion or a punctured lung."

Doctor Pollard quickly called up the status of his vitals and frowned in confusion as the area of the left lung, the left side of his ribcage, the left shoulder and his frontal lobe, together with his spleen was displayed in bright red. "Captain," she asked kindly. "Did you rupture your spleen in that same accident?"

He nodded, his eyes closed.

A chill went down her spine. The mind had always been, and still was, a source of great mysteries, even in this era of time. She could not treat injuries projected upon someone, Starfleet Medical claimed there was no such things, yet here she stood, hand fallen before her superior officer, unable to do anything to help. The captain would die of the strain if this continued. If they broke orbit and jumped away from the planet, maybe he would recover? Her mood suddenly plummeted. Or maybe it would get worse, the severed connection might kill him instantly.

"I was on Deep Space Three," he croaked suddenly, causing the doctor to jump. "That's where I received orders to send the probes into the Gamma Quadrant."

Tracy forced a smile on her lips, unsure of what to do. She reached out to place a hand on his good shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze, hiding a wince of her own as she felt the heat radiating off of him through the light fabric of the new medical gown the nurses had gotten him into a few hours earlier.

"It'll be all right, captain," she said softly, wishing desperately that she could believe her own words.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _


	14. Trouble of the Mind

**Chapter Fourteen**

_Trouble of the Mind_

Saru blinked to get the raindrops out of his eyes and reached up with his hand to wipe away the water from his face. What had begun as a drizzle was now a heavy downpour and he was soaked to the bones. Strangely enough, the rain was not cold but it did little to comfort him at the moment as he led the way through the thick underbrush, grimacing as the thorns dug into his uniform and tugged at his flesh through the fabric. Saru involuntarily ducked as lightning illuminated the dark sky above him and hastily cast a glance over his shoulder at the two security officers. He let out a sigh of relief as both Moss and Harrison followed closely behind and nodded at him. The Kelpien continued the tiring job of cutting through the dense jungle for a few minutes and then stopped short in surprise as he saw a large opening. He shared a look of confusion with his team mates and stepped out on a grassland only to stare wide-eyed at a large gathering of people.

The security officers quickly brought up their phasers as the people started to walk toward them.

Saru motioned for Moss and Harrison to put their weapons down as he tried to appeal to the people. "We come in peace," he called in a steady voice. "We're explorers, we don't want to hurt you."

They stared at him but said nothing as they continued to walk toward the trio. Saru swallowed, his mouth suddenly very dry as he reached up with his hand to the spot where his ganglia's had once been. It was an unconscious and well-practiced movement that he did whenever he felt threatened by something.

"Behind them!" Lieutenant Moss shouted in amazement.

"Holy-" Harrison mumbled.

Saru followed their gaze to a large gleaming monument which seemed to stretch all the way to the sky. "I believe we've found the reason for the interference," he reasoned thoughtfully.

"Is that the origin of the red signals, sir?" Moss wondered aloud.

"Hey," Harrison said with a frown as he looked from the monument to the large and now empty field. "All those people, they just vanished. One minute they came at us and then they-"

"It is not real, lieutenant," Saru said. "The reptilian bird, the people, the life-signs on the scanner; none of it is real."

"Then why?" Harrison asked, confusion evident on his face.

Moss jumped in surprise as the crowd suddenly reappeared and surrounded them. He let out a yelp as hands reached out for him. One of the desperate souls snatched the phaser from his hand and turned it against him. "Be careful with that," he cautioned.

"I'm sorry, sir, but it's pretty real to me," Harrison quipped as two men forced him into a sitting position on the ground.

A few of the younger men began to circle Saru, studying him intently. He held his ground. "Who are you?" he asked.

"_Hgfr, skfet, yssifa-,"_ the demanding voice began and suddenly turned metallic. It trailed off, as if trying to correct itself. _"The end came upon us-,"_ it said in perfect Starfleet standard English. _"Broken-, damage to secondary circuit. Unable to play." _

Saru lifted his head to look back upon the monument. "It's a-, it's a holographic retelling," he deduced. "But it's broken, that's why nothing of this makes sense."

"If it's only a picture, Commander Saru, please tell me how it can hold and aim my phaser at me," Moss said sarcastically.

"_Death was brought to us as the prophecy promised,"_ the projection of the man holding the phaser said.

OOOOOO

Doctor Hugh Culber glanced at the ominous sky. The air seemed to crackle with charged particles and the wind was increasing in strength. The boxes with medical equipment threatened to tear away from their position just outside the large module that they'd beamed down from the _Discovery_. The wind howled as it pushed heavy on the team and Hugh had to steel himself to keep upright.

He glanced worriedly at his wristwatch and noted with dismay that none of the CTP teams had called in. They should have found the supposedly missing landing party by now and reported their injuries back to him. Commander Saru seemed to have gotten lost too as he'd failed to reply to his hails.

To make matters worse, he couldn't establish contact with the ship for some reason so he was stuck on the surface and out of the loop. That meant that he couldn't check up on Captain Pike either. It wasn't that his colleague was a bad doctor, on the contrary, she was topnotch but the captain had been his patient in the first place and he wanted to be there for his superior officer.

Culber jumped as lightning struck out from above and went down only inches from the temporary medical bay. One of the nurses let out a yelp as she rushed out of the module and stared wide eyed at the dark hole in the ground. He ducked as the sound of a thunderclap reverberated all around them. The doctor turned around toward the entrance of the module as a crackling sound echoed from inside.

"Sir," one of the security officers, stationed outside, called seriously. "The metal is hot to touch."

Hugh watched as the ensign placed his hand on the frame of the module only to snatch it right back the second later.

"It's like its accumulating the electrical power somehow. I've never seen anything like it," he explained.

The doctor was suddenly feeling very vulnerable as he glanced around the open area and gulped as another lightning smacked into the ground on the other side of the module. "We're not safe here!" he shouted over the noise of the following thunderclap. "We need to evacuate!"

"Where too?" the security officer asked.

"Didn't Lieutenant Spock and Commander Saru discuss the density of the mountains?" he asked and blinked as rain began to pour down on them.

"Doctor, it's going to take us at least an hour to reach them."

"What about tunnels?" he argued desperately as a heavy side-wind threatened to force him to the ground.

"I'll see what I can find," the ensign suggested calmly as he turned to move away. "Gather the rest of your personnel and be ready to leave the moment I get back."

OOOOOO

"Spock!" Reno said, her tone urgent as she set off in a jog toward a deserted plaza a few clicks away.

The Vulcan took off after her and arched a curious eyebrow as he spotted Commander Nhan slumped over the edge of a large fountain. Her hair lay floating in the water but her face didn't touch the surface. She looked both peaceful and horrified at the same time, as if bothered by something in her sleep that she couldn't shake off. It looked like she was trapped in a nightmare with no escape.

Reno grabbed the chief of security by her shoulders and gently placed her head in her lap. The Barzan had tears trickling down her cheeks and a faint red streak of blood escaped her lips. "Nhan, wake up," the engineer urged worriedly.

Spock knelt next to them and arched a curious eyebrow as he studied the woman before him for a moment.

"Nhan," Reno tried again.

"Make-," she began, her voice a mere whisper, "-it,"

Reno frowned as she looked from Nhan to Spock and then back again.

"-stop," Nhan managed resolutely.

Spock suddenly got up from his crouched position and glanced around the immediate area in what appeared to be confusion.

"What is it?" Reno asked as she quickly scanned the area, trying to follow his gaze.

"I thought I felt a presence," he said calmly.

Nhan suddenly cried out and slumped in Reno's lap. "No, no," the engineer mumbled as she gently shook her colleague. "Come back here, you hear me? I know you're a tough SOB."

The Barzan blinked her eyes open and Jett let out a sigh of relief. "Don't scare me like that," she admonished.

"Sorry," Nhan slurred and tried to push herself up but felt a restraining hand on her shoulder.

"Take your time, honey," Reno cautioned. "I hate to say it but you don't look so hot at the moment."

"I tried to get back to you but I didn't find the exit. I began to walk around the city and I ended up here. As I watched my mirror image in the clear water I was blinded by a white light. It felt like a million needles pierced my mind, and then I woke up to find you hovering over me," she explained wearily. "It-, I don't know. My thoughts are everywhere, I'm suddenly thinking about things I thought I'd left behind, of things I hoped to never deal with or relive again."

"Come on," Reno said. "Let's get out of this creepy place."

Spock suddenly stiffened. It felt like he'd walked straight into a wall. A mental force was pushing against him, it was strong and sinister, similar to the probing of the mind he'd had to endure before he was allowed to enter the class of philosophy back on his home planet. He sank to his knees as the force overwhelmed him. Someone or something was entering his mind, he was unable to block it out.

The Vulcan suddenly stared at a crowd of people that had formed behind Nhan and Reno at the plaza. Images began to flash before him, memories from the past, but it wasn't of his choosing. It appeared to be looking for something specific. The memories flashed faster and faster until it began to dizzy him and then it stopped. He was back on the bridge of the _Enterprise_, he saw the probe, remembered the feeling of dread he'd been unable to shake. He saw Pike before him, the captain looked both determined and angry at the same time as he gave the order to destroy it.

Spock blinked and was immediately transferred back in time to the point when they'd released the probes in the first place. He saw Pike and Cornwell smile at each other and remembered their conversation about finding new life in a far-away corner of the universe.

He lurched forward and, already on his knees, he reached out with his hand to steady himself as he squeezed his eyes shut. He saw the 'Red Angel' before him and the seven red signals in the sky. The image then shifted to show him the red signal emanating from the surface of Arax VI. He grimaced as the entity, or whatever it was, left him alone and exhausted.

"Spock?" Nhan called worriedly as she slowly made her way over, steadied by Reno. "Spock, are you okay?"

OOOOOO

"_Captain Christopher Pike,"_ an unfamiliar voice echoed in his mind.

He tried to block it out, to get rid of the sound, to get back to reality but it seemed that the more he tried the further away he got. He gradually became aware of his senses, of long grass tickling the side of his face and of a chilling breeze that cooled his burning skin. He opened his eyes slowly and grimaced as he was back on the planet, laying on his side in the glade where he'd collapsed before. The only difference was that Vina seemed nowhere to be found.

"_You were right, captain,"_ the voice continued. _"Vina was never here. We simply used the image of her to gain your trust." _

"Who are you? What do you want?" Pike demanded angrily.

"_Your species are not equipped to handle this way of communication, it causes great stress to your system. However, you're distinguishable from the others, your neural pathways have been altered before, adapted to similar studies, to similar telepathy,"_ the voice explained.

Pike groaned as he gingerly got up from the ground and placed his hands on his knees in an effort to steady himself for a moment. "You are killing me," he whispered through clenched teeth as he straightened.

"_From the beginning that was our intention,"_ the voice replied flatly. _"However, we've seen your mind, seen your experiences and seen the kindness in you. It has been a long time since we came across a race so promising such as yours." _

"I do not represent humanity as such," Pike replied wearily. "I'm a Starfleet officer-"

"_You're a starship captain, representing the United Federation of Planets. A constellation cofounded of several races that stands for unity, peace and exploration,"_ the voice interrupted. _"You are part of an organization, exploring the universe. Part of an organization sworn to protect the citizens of the Federation territory, no matter the costs- you're a part of Earth-based Starfleet-,"_

"I see you've taken liberties," Pike muttered sourly. "Tell me, do you think it's ethical to use me? To probe my mind to gather information about our species the way you do?"

"_It was necessary,"_ the voice said simply. _"We share the belief that all life is precious, captain_."

"Is that why you decided to sacrifice mine?" He shot back sharply. "For the benefit of saving your own?"

"_Captain, you may not realize it but we have a complicated history together,"_ the voice said seriously.

Pike crumpled to the ground suddenly and grasped his head with both his hands.

"_My apologies, captain,"_ the voice said regrettably. _"You're not able to receive more at the time. I will risk overloading your already overtaxed system. I'll let you return to your reality." _

His eyes shot open and he found himself panting. Several alarms went off around him and he felt hands on his shoulders.

"Captain?" Doctor Pollard said with relief yet her voice was stern and admonishing.

He blinked and tried to focus.

"Can you hear me?" The doctor asked with concern.

He nodded and turned to look at her, he even managed a lopsided, dimpled smile. "Yes," he whispered as his eyes closed again.

"Captain?" Tracy called softly yet with an undertone of urgency and concern.

He drifted away, claimed by darkness yet again as his head lolled to the side.

Tracy looked at the nurse standing on the other side of the captain's bed. They shared a look of frustration. She didn't know what to do to help him. She didn't know how to reach him and, for every hour that passed, his condition deteriorated. The medical science had come a long way but this was so completely different from anything she'd ever encountered that all she could do was to stand helplessly at his side, unable to do anything to help him. She was watching her superior officer's life slip through her fingers.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _


	15. Grasping at Straws

**Chapter Fifteen**

_Grasping at Straws_

Tilly stopped and panted as she let her hands come to rest on her thighs. The hike had been longer and more tiring than she'd expected and the wind was howling now, increasing in strength for every minute that passed. She watched Ensign Calley stir, the woman's eyes glazed and unfocused as she gradually became aware of her surroundings.

"Hey, Calley," Portland called.

"Lieutenant Lesley," she croaked and gently squeezed her superior officer's shoulder. She managed a ghost of a smile as he tilted his head to look at her face. "Please, let me down."

"Glad to have you back with us, ensign," he said kindly as he gently eased her off of his shoulders. "Do you remember what happened?"

Calley reached up with her hand to rub at her aching temples. "I,-" she began hesitantly.

Tilly was instantly at her side. "It's okay Lena," she said. "Take your time."

"Bad idea," Royce said dryly as he glanced up at the dark skies. "We need to get going before this storm is upon us. The strength of the wind is enormous."

"Teamwork," Lieutenant Barnes pointed out, not the least amused by Ensign Royce's, not so subtle, way to try and take command of the group.

"It was so strange," she mumbled. "Like an uncoordinated blast from the past. I watched my mom die ten years ago. I didn't need a reminder of that, at least not like this. I saw the graduation day from the Academy, hugged my father goodbye when I was about to board the _USS __Shenzhou_ as a cadet, then the war came upon us," she said dejectedly.

"Then Royce stunned you," Tilly said as she turned to glare at him. "You could have killed her."

"Teamwork," Lieutenant Barnes echoed cautiously. "This whole incident will be discussed and dealt with when we get back onboard the _Discovery_. You can be sure of that. Luckily it's not up to me or Lieutenant Lesley to judge you."

"Sorry, sir," Ensign Royce said sheepishly. "I feared she'd give away something important to whatever probed her mind. I was only trying to save the rest of us."

Ensign Calley looked from Tilly to Lesley with a frown as she tried to clean away the dried blood that had trickled down from her ears. "I remember standing in the forward saucer section. I was on my way to the small observation lounge when the_ Enterprise_ appeared out of nowhere. I can't explain why I remember that so clearly. I know I admired her beauty, it's not often you get to see the flagship up close," she reasoned and then added in confusion. "Of all the memories I carry, why was that one pulled from the back of my mind?"

Tilly involuntarily ducked as lightning struck not too far away and shivered as rain started to pour down on them.

"Are you okay to walk?" Lesley asked kindly and studied the ensign closely for a moment.

Calley nodded. "I think so," she said.

"Come on then," Barnes suggested as he reached out with his hand for her to grab onto. "You can lean on me as Lesley and I shift position."

Tilly squealed and jumped backwards as several men appeared before her out of nowhere. She placed a hand over her chest. "Oh my goodness," she managed in surprise.

"Go away," Portland said, trying to sound commanding yet his voice was slightly quivering.

One of the two men reached for him and the scared ensign grimaced as the figure latched on to his elbow and started to drag him toward him.

Lesley swung the butt of his phaser at the man's stomach and swallowed as the gun connected to solid flesh. He gulped in surprise and then stared as the holographic image flickered for a moment.

"That can't be," Tilly reasoned anxiously, on the verge of freaking out. "I mean-," she swallowed. "It's a projected image. It can't be solid. Why is it solid?"

No one said anything.

"I know, I know-," she spoke up again. "It's an illusion, it must be. Maybe if I close my eyes and will for it to go away-,"

"Let's get out of here," Barnes suggested. "I thought I saw an opening to the tunnel system up ahead. Maybe we can rendezvous with the away team?"

"Even if we don't find them, at least we find shelter from the rain and storm," Lesley added.

OOOOOO

Michael curiously glanced up from the screen in front of her as Doctor Pollard stepped out of the turbolift and onto the bridge. Michael's mood plummeted and a lump formed in the pit of her stomach at the look on the doctor's face. She swallowed and forced a smile on her lips as she left her station to meet with the doctor.

"Doctor Pollard," she greeted.

"Commander, I need to speak with you in private," she said seriously.

Out of the corner of her eyes she saw the bridge crew's worried faces, they all knew that the doctor had come to talk about the captain.

She nodded and finally found her voice. "Please, follow me to the captain's ready room, doctor," Michael said.

They stepped into the turbolift and out again almost immediately as Michael let them into the darkened room.

"I'm not sure I'm ready to hear what you're about to tell me," Michael let on anxiously. "He's still alive isn't he?"

The doctor sighed. "Captain Pike's condition is serious and I'm afraid there is no way to treat it," she explained.

"I don't understand," Michael said. "He dislocated his shoulder and cracked his ribs on the planet. What is happening? Has he contracted some kind of pathogen?"

Pollard looked at her seriously but said nothing.

"That's why he's been seeing Vina again, isn't it?" she reasoned and then dejectedly added. "No, that's not it. Ash saw her too."

"You've been to Talos IV," Tracy began. "What happened there?"

Michael hesitated. "The Talosians are manipulating memories, they're masters of the mind," she said cryptically. "They helped Spock regain his sanity somehow."

The doctor waited for her to continue.

"I don't know what happened to Captain Pike. I can only account for my own visit. When I met Vina she said that in some ways the captain never really left Talos. I don't know what she meant by that. I wish I'd asked."

"Does that mean that he's still connected to them somehow?" Tracy mused.

"Why?" Michael asked in confusion.

"Something is killing our captain," Tracy replied seriously. "I'm trying to understand how it's all connected. I need to do something, I can't stand by and watch him die."

"No one's asking you to that, Doctor Pollard," she managed, her throat suddenly very dry. "Least of all me. Without him, we'd all be lost, he made us believe in Starfleet again, made us proud to be a part of it."

"I'd like to jump away from the planet," the doctor said. "I hope that it would sever the connection."

Michael shook her head sadly. "We have people down there. We can't just leave them. That's the last thing the captain would want us to do."

"That's not what I meant. We do a quick jump and, if it works, I can stay behind with the captain in a shuttlepod while you get back and retrieve the rest of our people from the planet," Tracy suggested.

"I'm sorry, I can't let you do that. I can't leave the two of you alone out there in the unknown. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you while we are away."

"I don't like it either, commander, but what if that is the only way to save Captain Pike?" she stated.

"There is something going on down there, and the captain is connected to it somehow, I know that," Michael said. "I'm not so sure the Talosians are involved in this and given the fact that we're missing several people on the surface-," she trailed off and sighed. "I'm sorry Doctor Pollard but we're staying in orbit. Do what you can to help Captain Pike."

OOOOOO

Moss and Harrison tilted their heads downwards in an attempt to avoid the heavy rain from splashing their faces. Both of them held a steady grip on their collar in order to prevent the wetness from trickling down their throat and then in under the uniform.

Saru grimaced as he gently wiped the scanner display clean of water. A life-sign suddenly appeared as a faint blip at the outskirt of the screen and he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at it. He stopped in mid-step to glance in the direction of, what appeared to be, a cave entrance a bit further ahead.

"What is it?" Moss hollered from behind and came to stand next to his superior officer.

Saru was about to reply as a hefty thunderclap echoed between the mountains. He stared open-mouthed while the lightning zig-zagged horizontally in the electrically charged sky. He had to sidestep to avoid being knocked down by the gust of wind and grimaced as he put strain on his injured ankle.

"Are you all right, sir?" Harrison asked kindly as he reached out with his hand to steady the Kelpien.

Saru nodded absentmindedly as water trickled down his face. "We need to find shelter," he said seriously. "I thought I saw an entrance up ahead and I caught a faint life-sign."

"I hope it's Commander Nhan and the away team," Moss replied. "I've had enough of crazed holograms and solid zombies."

Another thunderclap sounded and it was alarmingly close this time around. "Let's go," Harrison suggested through clenched teeth.

Saru set off at a brisk pace although with a slight limp. "This way," he said urgently.

OOOOOO

Michael studied her captain with concern. She walked closer to him and allowed herself to place a hand on his shoulder. It was warm to touch, burning, as a raging fire. _"I could tell you more about your future but I don't think you'd like that,"_ she quoted in a subdued quivering tone of voice.

Hugh frowned and took a few steps toward her. "Commander?" he asked softly in confusion.

She jumped at the sound of his voice and gave him a sheepish smile. "Doctor Culber, I didn't realize you'd beamed back onboard. The last time I checked we were still out of contact with the teams stranded on Arax VI," she said.

"Contact was reestablished only minutes ago," the doctor explained. "I thought you'd heard? I came straight to sickbay as I found out what happened to the captain."

Michael eyed him wearily for a moment.

"Tracy met me in the transporter room," he explained. "You look troubled, commander."

"Mum," she whispered sadly. "When I was listening in to the conversation between the captain and my mother back on Essof IV, I heard her say that."

Hugh grimaced. "And you think this was what she meant?" he guessed.

She looked up to level her eyes with his and then turned to the captain again. "I really don't know but it's not looking good, is it?" she asked.

He shook his head as looked from Michael to Pike to Michael again.

"First I thought it was something he'd picked, up back on the planet, but I don't understand; there is nothing wrong with Commander Stamets or Saru," she said thoughtfully.

"The captain was the only normal human on the away team," the doctor reasoned. "Paul's got the tardigrade DNA in his system and Saru is a Kelpien. Maybe it's something in their DNA that makes them immune to whatever this is."

Michael looked skeptical.

There was a moment of silence. Then his voice seemed to take on a malicious tone. "Maybe it's something else entirely," he said seriously.

She stiffened at the sudden display of hostility and took a step backwards. It was with a sudden realization she understood that this wasn't _Discovery's_ CMO but someone, or something, else entirely.

The impostor narrowed his eyes, studying her for a moment, as if trying to decide if she was trustworthy or not. _"You have to help him, Michael,"_ he said suddenly, his voice oddly distorted as he seemed to shimmer out of existence. _"You have to take him down to the planet. It's the only way we can restore him back to health. We will be waiting for you."_

"Michael!" a voice boomed.

She glanced around in confusion but sickbay was empty apart from her captain.

A chill ran down her spine as she felt hands on her shoulders.

"Michael, wake up!" Ash called desperately as he tightened his grip around her petite shoulders and shook her gently.

"Not real, not real," she whispered.

"This is real, Michael, get a grip!" Ash said as he gently hauled her up from the floor where he had found her lying face down next to Pike's bedside. Without another word, he placed her on the next bed.

Tracy Pollard appeared next to them in an instant and began to take readings of the stricken commander, forcing Tyler to stand back.

He gently reached for a cloth and carefully began to wipe away the thin sheen of perspiration from her forehead as the doctor finished her scan. The Section 31 liaison forced himself to calm down and took a deep breath as he ran a hand through his hair. He looked from Michael to Pike and then back again with worry.

"What's going on, Doctor Pollard? he demanded, taking a step away from the commander.

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Agent Tyler, I'm as much in the dark as you are at the moment," she admitted. "However, her brain activity is very high at the moment, several areas of the mind are being accessed. I can't explain why or how. Her brain waves are similar to when she came back from Talos IV."

Ash pursed his lips into a thin line of displeasure upon hearing the name of the planet. "Talos," he whispered. "She had headaches for weeks after that."

"Hugh," she whispered.

Ash was instantly at her bedside. "Michael?" he called softly.

She opened her eyes slowly and grimaced at the brightness of the light.

"He's not here," Ash said. "I'm sorry, Michael, but contact has yet to be established. The teams are still stuck down there."

Her eyes widened in surprise as she took in her surroundings and saw the worried faces of Ash Tyler and Tracy Pollard. She tilted her head a little so that she could see her captain on the bed next to her. "I don't understand," she whispered.

"Understand what, Michael?" Ash pushed.

"He was here-," she said and then clarified, "-Doctor Culber. I saw him. I was talking to him."

"Why don't you rest for a while, commander," Doctor Pollard suggested.

She shook her head. "No, it wasn't him. I have to help him."

"You're not making any sense," Ash said and carefully nodded at the doctor who readied a hypo.

Tracy quickly released a mild sedative into her system and watched the commander relax. "She'll sleep for a few hours. I'll take a few scans to make sure she's all right," the doctor said.

Ash walked over to Pike's bedside and took a moment to study the ashen man. "Talos IV," he said seriously and turned back to face the young doctor. "I need to talk to the captain."

She shook her head. "No," she said. "I won't risk waking him up. Frankly, I don't think I _can_ wake him up. Besides, you'd not be able to get any sense out of him at the moment."

OOOOOO

_To be continued _


	16. Rendezvous Point

**Chapter Sixteen**

_Rendezvous Point_

Doctor Culber shivered slightly from the cold as his uniform was soaked from the heavy downpour. He turned to look over his shoulder to make sure that his two nurses and the small team of engineers and security officers was still with him in the tunnel system.

They looked equally miserable and wet but when he looked at them they seemed to brighten and nod at him.

"Wait," one of the nurses said seriously as she stopped dead in her tracks behind him.

Hugh retraced a few steps until he was standing next to her. "What is it?" he asked curiously.

"I thought I heard something," she explained.

The security officers tightened their grip on their phasers and nodded toward each other as one of the engineers did a tricorder sweep around the tunnel.

Hugh held his breath in anticipation and stared flabbergasted as the tunnel wall disappeared to their right and transformed into an opening.

"Sir," the younger of the nurses whispered as she carefully studied the old and worn buildings of an underground city before her.

"What just happened?" the engineer with the tricorder mumbled.

Hugh carefully reached out with his hand toward the opening.

"Careful doctor," the highest ranking security officer said seriously as he went up to stand next to Culber. "There might be some kind of forcefield-," he trailed off and let the suggestion hang in the air as he swiped the opening with the barrel of his phaser.

Hugh shared a look of surprise with the security officer for a moment and then turned toward the engineer. "Life-signs?" he asked carefully.

"Three, sir," he said with a nod. "They appear to be a few hundred meters inside the city."

Culber froze as he thought he'd heard a voice; a familiar voice. It was very faint and soft but it had to belong to Nhan, the Barzan, whom Captain Pike had brought with him from the_ Enterprise_.

"Doctor?" the young nurse asked quizzically.

He held up a hand to silence her.

"Spock!" Nhan called faintly.

That was all they needed to hear. The various members of the _Discovery_ crew that had followed Doctor Culber into the tunnel system shared a worried look and then set off at a jog toward the concerned voice of their newly appointed chief of security.

Used to running in order to keep fit, and eager to help out if he could, Hugh Culber sprinted across the area, rounded the corner of a building and ran across the large, empty plaza and up to a fountain.

Nhan was kneeling next to Spock, who appeared to be on his hands and knees, with his eyes closed in what looked like agony. Jett Reno was standing behind Nhan, a hand on the other woman's shoulder.

"Doctor!" one of the security officers admonished from behind him.

Culber shook it off, he knew he shouldn't have run ahead but one of their own had appeared to be in distress and he was a healer. He held little regard for his own life in those moments, Paul had chided him about that. It wasn't intentional, he didn't have a death wish, it was just that he lived to help. It was in his nature, it defined him. He knew the minute he'd applied for medical school that he'd made the right choice.

Hugh assessed the situation quickly due to years of experience and medical training. Reno seemed no worse for wear but Nhan had blood trailing from her ears and mouth while her complexion seemed ghostly pale. Spock grimaced, a rare sight on the normally so stoic Vulcan officer, but the lieutenant seemed to be able to pull himself together without medical help.

"Commander Nhan, are you all right?" Culber asked softly as he went over to stand next to Reno, shared a look of concern with older woman, and then knelt next to Nhan.

She nodded and tried to get up from her position next to Spock, then grimaced as she was caught by a dizzy spell.

Reno was quick to grab hold of her arm and gently steadied her. "I've got you," she said softly and then eyed the Vulcan science officer with concern. "Spock, do you need help?"

He shook his head as he rose to his feet. "No, I'll be fine. Just give me a moment," he replied.

"What's going on?" one of the security officers asked.

"What is this place?" the young nurse whispered as she glanced around the high buildings surrounding the plaza. "It's huge."

"Aralto," Spock said as he too glanced around.

"What?" Hugh stated in surprise as he carefully studied Nhan and ran a medical tricorder over her head.

Spock reached up with his hand to rub at his temples as he briefly closed his eyes. "It's the capital of Arax VI," he explained calmly, his voice even and his tone flat.

"But it's underground," the security officer protested. "Why would anyone build such a large city underground on such a beautiful planet?"

"Because," Spock began. "Arax VI have a troublesome past and it's somehow connected to us."

"That's impossible," Reno drawled. "Starfleet has never been here. It's so far away from Federation space that it would take years-," she paused and corrected herself, "-hundreds of years, to get here at maximum warp. If _Discovery_ hadn't been equipped with her special drive unit, we would never have made it here."

"The members of the Federation have researched a lot of methods when it comes to long distance travel, especially the Vulcan Science Directory," he stated. "Starfleet and the Andorian Imperial Guard managed to develop a method of travel for smaller objects that involved high risks. I'm violating protocol to tell you this but, as recent events are unfolding, I deem it necessary to speak of it."

Nhan looked at him quizzically. "The probes," she said cryptically.

He nodded at her. "Precisely, commander."

"What has it got to do with this planet and the extinction of-," Reno began curiously.

Spock shook his head. "Life here is not extinct," he said. "It simply exists on a different level at the moment."

Hugh moved over to run the medical tricorder over the Vulcan with a look of concern on his face. The medical scanner began to beep forebodingly as he ran it over Spock's forehead and frontal lobe. "This is off the scale," he noted. "Even for Vulcan standards."

Spock staggered suddenly and Hugh gently steadied him. "Easy," the doctor cautioned.

"I need to talk to the captain," he said seriously. "He might be in danger."

OOOOOO

"_You have to help him,"_ the voice, and then voices, echoed in her head as she blinked heavy eyelids open. Michael carefully glanced around the room and let out a sigh of relief as she realized she was alone with the captain. She carefully swung her legs over the edge of the biobed and tested them. Satisfied that they held her weight, she made her way over to Pike and gently shook him by the shoulders.

"Captain," she whispered. "Captain, wake up, we have to leave."

"_It's the only way to help him," _the voice echoed.

"I can't," Pike managed, his voice subdued and strained.

"Yes, you can, sir," she pushed as she tried to help him into a sitting position. "You have too. I can't carry you."

He moaned as pain assaulted every nerve end in his body. He then shivered from the experience and gasped.

Michael gritted her teeth in frustration. While he was conscious, he was sluggish to respond and appeared dead on his feet. She was just about to wrap her arm around his middle when she noticed the slow transformation into the familiar and strong presence of Captain Pike that seemed to emerge from deep within. His glassy eyes cleared and the cunning half-wry smile, accentuated with dimples, appeared on his face as he looked up at her. "Hang on a minute, Burnham, I can't leave in a gown. Where is my uniform?" he asked softly.

She laughed with relief and quickly went over to a drawer and rummaged through it. Luckily a captain's uniform stood out from the rest so it wasn't that hard to find. "Here, sir," she hollered and threw the tunic at him.

"I hate to ask, commander, but I think I need a little help," he said.

She mentally kicked herself and gently helped him out of the gown. She then helped him get his arms into the garment. Michael would chide herself for it afterwards but she couldn't help but to think about how jealous Ensign Tilly would be when she heard about this. She retrieved his boots while he got into his trousers and then gently knelt down to help him get into them.

"I'm sorry, commander," he apologized softly. "Luckily my face is already flushed with fever otherwise my embarrassment would shine right through."

Michael couldn't help but to smile kindly at him as she helped him off the bed and draped his arm around her middle. He was the sweetest man and yet he was the most powerful captain in the fleet, she marveled at that as they made their way out in the corridor.

"If this ship works as it should, it will only be a minute or two before we're found and I'm whisked back to sickbay," he cautioned as they made it into the nearest turbolift.

"It wouldn't come to that," Michael said enigmatically. "We're both cunning officers, are we not, sir?"

"I thought you had faith in your comrades, commander," he replied in amusement, despite his predicament and the pain he was in.

"_Discovery_ is equipped with an emergency turbolift that takes us directly opposite the transporter room, all we have to do is to cross the corridor," she explained cunningly.

He nodded. "Then we have to make sure to catch the right ride," he suggested. "Because this is not the one."

"No, it's turbolift 3F. There is an interception point at the engineering deck," she replied.

He sighed as he sagged against the wall. "Computer, calculate time for interception with turbolift 3F."

"_Estimated time thirty seconds, the car is empty,"_ the computer replied dutifully.

"Halt the lifts and dock. Lock down-," he paused and glanced around the small room to find the designation on the turbolift they were currently riding in. "-4C after docking procedure and hold all turbolifts, except 3F, in the system for three minutes. Authorization code Pike-Alpha-six-two-one-D."

"_Confirmed,"_ the metallic voice replied as the docking procedure began.

A moment later the pair burst through the doors to the transporter room, surprising the poor technician.

"Sir, sirs," he mumbled as he got out of the chair he was slouched in.

Michael went over to set the coordinates that the voice had repeated over and over in her head for the last minute and then quickly went back to help the captain to the transporter pad.

"Captain," the technician cautioned. "Forgive me, sir, but you look unwell. I-, I heard rumors you were dying-"

"I'll be fine, ensign," he said softly. "Please, notify Doctor Pollard, this is the only way."

The technician frowned in confusion as the pair was whisked away. He stared at the empty pads as the ship went to yellow alert and the said doctor rushed into the room with Agent Tyler on her heels.

"Where are they?" the Section 31 liaison demanded.

"Planet side," the technician said and then looked from the agent to the doctor in confusion. "I don't understand. Captain Pike said-"

"Said?" Tyler interrupted. "No, no the last time I saw him, he was unconscious."

"How did he appear to you, ensign?" Tracy asked quizzically.

"Like death warmed over, ma'am," he replied seriously. "But I have faith in the captain's abilities and he did say this was the only way."

"I need to get down there," Tracy said seriously.

"I'm sorry, doctor, the coordinates have been erased from the computer and the system is locking me out."

Ash gently pulled the younger man away from the console, pushed a few buttons and murmured a curse under his breath.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _


	17. Whispers of the Past

**Chapter Seventeen**

_Whispers of the Past _

Lieutenant Moss hastily drew his phaser as a bright glow appeared further down the corridor while Lieutenant Harrison pulled out his handheld scanner. Saru frowned and narrowed his eyes, for some reason, he felt no anxiety nor fear. His enhanced vision zeroed in on the glow and took a step forward in surprise as he saw the familiar silhouettes of Captain Pike and Commander Burnham.

The Kelpien quickly made his way toward them with the lieutenants following closely behind. "Captain, commander?" he asked as he neared. "What is going on?"

Pike sagged against the petite science officer and would have crumpled to the ground had not Saru steadied him. "You appear to be very unwell, sir," Saru stated calmly yet his concern shone right through.

"He is," Michael stated seriously as she stole a glance at her pale superior officer. "He died yesterday."

Moss and Harrison shared a horrified look behind Saru's back.

"I did not, Burnham," he protested. "And I think they're learning how to communicate with me without pushing me over the edge."

"Sir?" Saru asked as he looked from Pike to Burnham.

"The planet is not uninhabited, commander," Pike explained. "You need to get me to them. I can't speak with them like this anymore."

OOOOOO

Tilly screamed like a baby as something, or someone, latched onto her ankle and she fell forward. She managed to twist around and dampen her fall with her hands but cried out in pain as she felt her wrists take the brunt of it.

"Ensign!" Barnes called as he quickly grabbed hold of her and hauled her up again.

Tilly stared dumbfounded at him for a moment and then at the ground and smiled sheepishly as she realized she'd tripped on a root. "I thought it was one of those creepy zombies," she managed. "I'm sorry, sir."

"I think this place keeps everyone on their toes," the lieutenant said with a smirk and nodded for her to get going again.

"It's not far now. We're almost there," Lesley urged tiredly as he gently pushed Calley forward and made sure that the young ensign was doing okay.

Royce and Portland yelped as lightning illuminated the area around them. The hefty thunderclap reverberated through the ground and caused Royce to lose his footing.

Barnes backtracked until he was the one covering their six and grabbed hold of Royce's arm to haul him up. "Come on, come on," he urged. "The storm is upon us. We need to get into the tunnel system."

Five minutes later all of them rushed through a small opening and stopped just inside, panting from the exertion. Calley slumped against Lesley and he gently lowered her to the ground. When he'd made sure she was okay he leaned back against the wall and exhaled deeply. Royce grimaced and wiped his forehead with his sleeve in an attempt to get rid of the water, dripping into his eyes. Portland shivered slightly and let out a relieved breath.

Tilly was unnaturally quiet as Barnes walked up to her with a kind smile on his lips. "You did well, Ensign Tilly," he encouraged as he gently squeezed her shoulder. "Are you all right?"

"I never want to see another zombie movie again," she whispered through shallow breaths. "And I need to exercise more so I can run faster."

"It won't help to run faster if you trip, ensign, you'll only injure yourself further," he said slyly and broke into a grin.

She smirked. "Thanks, sir," she replied sarcastically.

"Let's go," Lesley said suddenly. "We can't stay here."

"Where too?" Portland asked as he glanced at the scanner in hand. "There are several directions we can choose."

A low rumble went through the tunnel and a white puff appeared from one of the side tunnels. They shared a worried look as the ground shook forebodingly.

The sky outside lit up as lightning struck outside the entrance and, what had first sounded like a crackle, broke into a thundering roar as rocks and soil began to rain down from above.

The team backed further into the tunnel as the entrance was sealed off. Beams that held the ceiling above them started to give away and forced them to run further inside the maze of tunnels. The side tunnel to their left collapsed and smoke billowed from the junction further up ahead. Dust swirled around them and the stale air made it hard to breathe as they pushed deeper into the tunnel system. Lesley pushed forward as Barnes made sure everyone followed. When Calley stumbled, Royce gently helped her up and sneaked an arm around her middle to support her.

Lesley abruptly came to a stop as the tunnel before him was blocked. He quickly scanned the immediate area as Portland ran up to him. The two of them took a quick look at the scanner in the ensign's hand and then nodded toward each other.

"This way," Lesley shouted.

Tilly coughed as visibility was down to a few centimeters and gripped hold of Portland who was trailing Lesley. "Stay together," she said seriously.

Royce clasped onto Tilly's wrist from behind and then reached out behind him to grab hold of Barnes.

"Good thinking, Ensign Tilly!" the lieutenant hollered from behind.

They ran for what felt like ages. Tilly didn't think she had it in her but she kept pushing forward with the rest of the team. She grimaced in pain as her bad ankle twisted again while running on the uneven ground but she didn't fall.

They came to another dead end and the collective feeling was one of despair and dejection. They were all tired, their lungs hurt from all the dust they'd inhaled, their throats were dry and their legs cramped from the exertion.

"No," Portland whined as he stared at the blocked tunnel ahead of them. "Not again."

"No," Barnes echoed but for a completely different reason. He cursed under his breath as the flashlight in his hand blinked in and out several times. "Batteries are shot."

Lesley gently patted down his flake vest and smiled triumphantly as he pulled up a fresh pack and handed it to his colleague. "Trust an engineer to carry an extra pack around," he said.

Barnes chuckled and shook his head as he quickly changed the battery and walked up to the boulders and beams that blocked their pathway. "Trust security to clear the way," he said as he rigged the flashlight and started to shift the loose rocks.

"Teamwork," Portland stated as he too began to help.

"Teamwork," Tilly echoed as she came to stand next to him.

Lesley smiled as he made sure Calley was all right. "Looks like there is hope for our future leaders after all," he said.

OOOOOO

Doctor Culber froze as he eyed the stoic Vulcan closely. "Why might Captain Pike be in danger?" he asked carefully as he put down the medical tricorder.

"I cannot say at the moment," Spock replied.

"How about a guess then?" Reno drawled as she crossed her hands over her chest.

He ignored her and turned to the chief of security. "Commander, have you had any recollection of the probe that tried to destroy the _Enterprise_ recently?"

Nhan nodded. "It's like, whatever it was, singled out that particular memory from my mind. I really thought we were finished back there. Alone and without backup in unknown territory-," she trailed off and shuddered as she thought back upon it.

The others looked from Nhan to Spock and then back again. Trying to follow their reasoning.

Doctor Culber was about to ask a question when Nhan suddenly spoke up again, her eyes distant and her voice hollow.

"I remember being in a Jeffries tube when there was a rapid deceleration and I was thrown violently against the wall. I split my lip and cut my cheek but it could have been much worse. The ensign who was climbing behind me got sucked out in space as something sliced through the hull a few meters down the tube. I would have followed her if it hadn't been for the bulkhead that sealed off the area between us. I stared in shock down the ladder for a moment before I lunged at an access port a few clicks to my left and climbed out on deck eleven. The main power relay station was shot to hell. Alarms blared everywhere, it felt like the entire deck was decompressing."

Spock nodded. "Perhaps it was a good thing that you happened to be where you were at the time," he suggested. "If it hadn't been for your quick thinking, power would not have been restored quite so quickly. The access to the main circuit bay was almost completely severed. It would have taken hours to get there."

She nodded sadly. "I found the EVA suits in the back of the storage compartment, got into one and made sure to stabilize the force fields. I didn't realize the extent of the damage done to the ship at the time, not until the repair team joined me, and I didn't know the full extent of the injuries sustained by the crew until I stepped into the overcrowded sickbay a few hours later," she explained sadly and then hesitated for a moment. "I recall pulling up a chair, dirtied, bruised and battered next to Captain Pike's bedside."

Spock and Nhan shared a solemn look and then Spock turned to Hugh. "When the captain mentioned he was one of the seventy injured crewmen, Doctor Culber, he left out the extent of his injuries. I was forced to relive that moment on the bridge a moment ago when you came to find us," he explained. "What happens here now is somehow connected to the _Enterprise_, the probes that we sent out and the near destruction of the _Enterprise_ itself a little over a year ago. I can't explain it but I felt emotions through the haze of pain. I felt curiosity, despair, confusion and relief at the same time as the entity accessed my memories."

"You mean to tell me that, of all the places in the entire universe, one of your probes struck Arax VI and that someone here is deliberately trying to retaliate as we speak?" Reno stated skeptically. "Do you suggest that the red signal in the sky was simply a mean to lure the _Discovery_ here to-,"

"I suggest nothing, Commander Reno," Spock interrupted coldly. "I am merely trying to ascertain what we've learned so far. While it may not be logical, there is certainly a connection. As for the red signal, I'm as much in the dark as the rest of you."

"You cannot summon someone from across the galaxy," Reno protested, still not convinced.

"I believe that the 'Red Angel' has done so on several occasions," he replied flatly.

"Life-signs," the engineer, who'd arrived with Doctor Culber's team, cautioned.

"Where?" Nhan asked seriously as she nodded toward the officers from her department to take a look.

"Six o'clock," the engineer reported.

The security officers set off in the direction and discreetly hid behind the corner of a building as faint voices echoed across the plaza.

Hugh felt his pulse quicken as he gently motioned for his nurses and the rest of the team to take cover.

Nhan grabbed hold of a phaser and was about to help out as Reno gently placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

Spock arched an eyebrow as the life-signs displayed on his handheld scanner began to overlap. He looked up just in time to see the two CTP teams and the security officers that had followed Doctor Culber into the tunnel system come face to face, their phasers drawn.

"Hold your fire!" Lieutenant Lesley ordered as he gently got up from his crouched position and holstered his phaser.

Tilly sighed deeply and let out a relieved laugh as she staggered out from her hiding place. "Guys, I'm so glad to see friendly faces," she said.

Hugh rushed over to them. "What are you doing all the way here and what's happened to Ensign Calley?" he asked in concern as he performed a quick visual of the woman who appeared to be leaning heavily on Lieutenant Barnes.

"Long story," Tilly offered rapidly. "And you're not going to believe it."

Hugh frowned, then smirked as he glanced at her. "After today-," he asked, "-try me."

"Something invaded her mind," Royce offered. "It sounded like she was talking about the ship so we stunned her."

Hugh did a double take at the young ensign. "What in the world for?" he admonished. "You could have killed her."

Spock's and Nhan's interest peaked.

"Did you say something invaded her mind?" Spock asked curiously.

Ensign Royce took a step back at the slightly accusing tone of the Vulcan's voice. "Yes, lieutenant," he answered.

"Then it makes three of us," Nhan mused softly.

"Except," Spock countered. "Ensign Calley have no recollection of what it was after since she was not present onboard the _Enterprise_."

Hugh beamed at the young ensign and nodded at her. "It's not much I can do down here I'm afraid, except to give you something for the massive headache you're nursing."

"Sounds wonderful, doctor," Calley managed with a faint smile.

"My goodness," Tilly said as she noticed Commander Burnham and Commander Saru at a faraway distance. She quickly made her way toward them.

"Ensign Tilly hold on a second," Lieutenant Lesley hollered after her. "It might not be real."

Tilly stopped immediately and began to backtrack.

"It appears to be Commander Burnham and Commander Saru," Spock said as he eyed the scanner and frowned at the display. He thought he'd seen a third life-sign for a moment but now it appeared to be only two.

"Spock," Nhan called in concern. "What is it?"

He strained his eyes to see better in the semidarkness and felt a knot form in his stomach as he saw the slumped figure of a very familiar man between the two senior officers. "Captain," he called.

The single word caused the others to stare in disbelief at the approaching trio. The doctor hastily excused himself from Ensign Calley's side and began to jog.

Spock lengthened his stride in order to reach his mentor and friend faster, he felt a stir of deeply hidden human emotions as he came to stand opposite his sister, his captain and the Kelpien XO.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _


	18. Unification

**Chapter Eighteen**

_Unification_

"Captain?" Doctor Culber called, his medically trained eyes immediately sought out the man who seemed to be kept upright only by the support of the others.

Pike had his eyes closed and his head was bent forward so that his chin almost touched his chest. One arm was wrapped loosely around Burnham's neck and the other rested loosely on Saru's arm which sneaked around the captain's middle.

"Captain," Culber said worriedly. He'd never seen his superior officer so pale, so sick, and he was shocked by the fact that his condition seemed to have deteriorated so fast. The last time he'd seen Pike he'd seemed almost back to normal.

Spock and Tilly made their way over, both of them appearing equally worried although showing it differently. The Vulcan studied his captain intently, standing ramrod straight, as Tilly shifted her weight from foot to foot and chewed on her lower lip.

Nhan, gently supported by Reno, followed closely behind and stopped next to Spock. The CTP participants and the officers from engineering and security whom had participated in the medical field day, came to stand next to Tilly.

Pike slowly raised his head and opened his eyes to slits. He saw the worried faces before him but he didn't have the energy to offer even the faintest smile. Instead he tilted his head upwards so that he could look at Saru. "They are in the middle of the city," he said in a strained voice, barely audible at all. "It's not far now."

"Sir," Tilly began.

Michael gently reached out a hand and placed it on Culber's shoulder. "You can't help him, Hugh," she said softly, her expression apologetic. "But someone else can."

They began their slow walk again and Pike managed to take a few steps before he gave up and let the others drag him forward.

"Michael," Spock called seriously as he quickly reached his sister and indicated for her to move aside so that he could help.

She nodded at him and gently switched places with her brother. Without a word he slipped his arm around his superior officer's middle and draped the other man's arm over his shoulder. Then he hesitated and studied the captain for a moment.

Pike slowly turned his head a little so that he could face his Vulcan science officer. "If you're thinking of carrying me, I'll demote you, lieutenant," he whispered.

"Captain, you're not fit for duty, therefore your orders will not carry any authority but I'll heed the warning," he said. "Please lean on me, you cannot carry that much of your weight."

Michael and Hugh shared a cautions smile at the slightly bickering pair. It was easy to see that their time serving together onboard the _Enterprise_ had deepened the connection between them. Michael had never seen her brother place so much trust in another human before but, after serving under his captain for a while, she had no trouble understanding why.

The walk was long and agonizing for all of them but in different ways. Tilly was itching to do something to could help, she just didn't know what. Culber was studying his captain closely, not happy with the signs of distress the other man was displaying. He knew that Pike had a high threshold for pain and for him to show weakness the way he did was very troublesome. Saru shielded himself from the pain that seemed to radiate off of his commanding officer but it chilled him to the bone and he urged for them to move a little faster. Spock pressed on with the captain's well-being first and foremost in mind.

Their journey ended outside a large double door that swiftly opened and let them in as they neared. A spacious room, several stories high, appeared before them. They stared in amazement at the life-pods, similar to cryogenic tubes, which was stored in vast numbers inside. The pods were kept in a horizontal position and seemed to be stacked on top of each other in rows with a distance of two meters.

Tilly gulped as she raised her head to stare at the faint stream of light that filtered into the room from above and marveled at the enormity of the room as she couldn't see the ceiling above her.

"This one," Pike whispered as he nodded toward one of the pods in the first row. "Please, Saru, open it."

The Kelpien hesitated, not really wanting to let go of his captain, and then walked over to it.

Overcome with a sudden feeling that everything would be all right, Pike finally gave in to the darkness that had threatened to claim him for so long and sagged against Spock.

The Vulcan gently lowered him to the ground.

"Captain, no!" Michael shouted as she rushed to his side and knelt down. She gently took hold of his shoulders and shook him in an effort to wake him up. She desperately let go and began to search for a pulse.

Doctor Culber quickly knelt down next to her. "Commander," he began.

"No," Michael whispered. "He can't be-" she trailed off and sat back on her heels, hitching on a breath as she saw a tear escaping Tilly's eye and the stricken looks on the rest of them.

A lean and tall alien clad in a purple robe suddenly appeared at the captain's side. He knelt down on the opposite side to Michael and eyed her with disinterest, then focused on the captain. He placed one hand on the Pike's forehead and one hand above the center of his chest. He spread his long fingers and closed his eyes.

Michael stared in amazement as life-energy seemed to be given to the captain. The alien concentrated, lines of pain deepening across his forehead as Pike shifted ever so slightly. The captain suddenly gasped and snapped his eyes open with a wild look.

"Sir!" Saru called.

"Captain Pike!" Michael hollered, having found her voice again.

The alien slumped back and let out a quivering breath.

Michael and Spock both reached for their superior officer and shared a look of concern as they offered their support. Michael gently placed his head in her lap as Spock reached for his captain's shoulder.

Christopher Pike looked from Michael to Spock and then back again, the faintest of smiles on his pale lips. He nodded and briefly closed his eyes again. "I'm okay," he whispered.

"That is highly skeptical, sir," Saru said softly. "I believe you were just brought back from the dead."

"I concur," Doctor Culber said as he knelt next to him with a medical tricorder in hand.

Pike opened his eyes again, his expression a mix of sadness and exhaustion, then there was a spark and the very familiar gleam in his blue eyes returned as he tried to push himself off of the ground.

Hugh gently pushed him down again. "Not so fast, captain," he admonished as he checked the readings on the medical device. The doctor had never seen anything like it, his superior officer's vitals were all over the place.

"Don't tell Number One, or Doctor Boyce for that matter," he managed, his voice strained. "They like to keep tabs on me."

"Captain, I need to caution you," Spock began, "Number One says you must have been given nine lives to begin with. If this continues, you would have used up all of those before we get back onboard the _Enterprise_."

"I'm afraid this will have to be reported in your medical file, sir," Hugh said softly.

Saru frowned in confusion at the Spock's statement while Michael smiled. "Would that be a reference to the nine lives of a cat?" she guessed.

Pike nodded. "Sometimes I have the luck of an Irish too," he explained ironically.

Michael broke into a genuine grin as she gently squeezed his shoulder. "It's good to have you back, sir," she said softly.

He smirked. "It's good to be back, commander. Now, can you give me a hand up?"

Spock and Michael looked at Doctor Culber who nodded in agreement. They quickly aided him and then, to Pike's chagrin, didn't let go of him. Instead they kept their hands on him, ready to steady him in case he wasn't able to stand upright on his own. Saru and Tilly stood ready to help out as well should it come to that.

The alien slowly got up from his position on the floor and went over to another life-pod. He punched in a series of commands and popped the lid open to reveal yet another tall and lean alien. The only thing that seemed to distinguish them were the different colors of their robes. However, the moment the second alien spoke up, Pike recognized the voice that had been floating inside his mind.

"Captain Christopher Pike," he said politely, as a way of acknowledgement, and turned to his science officer. "Commander Michael Burnham."

She nodded.

He acknowledged the rest with a simple nod and returned his focus on Michael. "My apologies for appearing like Doctor Culber earlier, commander. However, I judged it to be the easiest way to convince you of what you must do to help your captain."

"Apology accepted," she said.

"My name is He'tef. I'm the leader of the people that survived the tragedy all those years ago. My being here has been made possible by sacrifices from others," he said and nodded toward the alien who'd healed the captain. "This is He'to, he's our medical supervisor and my-, forgive me, there is no correct translation to his actual title but you may see him as my advisor and friend."

The other alien took a step forward and nodded kindly at them. "How are you feeling Captain Pike?" he asked.

"Fine," he said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

The alien appeared amused for a moment. "Tell me, captain, are you in a habit of pulling such blatant lies in front of your crew?"

Tilly guffawed nervously and put a hand to her mouth. "I am sorry, sir. I'm just so relieved. I'll-, I'll just shut up.

Saru smirked and shook his head while Michael's lips twitched upwards in amusement.

"It's an automatic response to a question I usually try to avoid," Pike replied softly.

"It's good to know, captain," Hugh said.

"I do regret, captain, that I cannot heal the injuries you sustained on the planet's surface. I can only heal the pain we've caused you by accessing your memories and remove the strain we've caused by our probing," he said.

Culber once again ran the tricorder over the captain. "I'm curious," he began seriously as he took a look at his readings and then eyed the alien healer. "Why wasn't I able to detect your intrusion?"

"The process is intricate, some species cannot handle the stress at all and is unintentionally killed on the first attempt at communication," He'tef explained.

Culber shuddered at the way he said it; the coldness in his flat voice.

"In this case we recognized Captain Pike from the images sent back to us by the probe. We thought that he'd returned for some kind of retribution. We dug into his mind only to find that the captain had previous experience of dealing with mind illusionists such as ourselves."

"The Talosians," Nhan deduced.

He'tef nodded. "Vina," he said regrettably. "We used her for our own benefit, we tried to create trust between us and your captain."

"Unfortunately, his system couldn't handle the pressure and constant probing from us, eventually his mind and body started to shut down," He'to explained sadly.

Michael pursed her lips into a thin line of displeasure and clasped her hands behind her back as she turned to stare at the man who titled himself the leader of his people. "That is a very diplomatic way to admit that you killed someone," she said coldly.

"I'm afraid that you're mistaken, Commander Burnham. "He'tef said seriously. "Our intention at the time was to understand why the captain was still alive. Then we would kill him. However, as time passed, we extracted memories and visions that contradicted what we'd first believed."

"And what was that?" Saru asked coldly.

"That you were evil," He'tef deadpanned.

"The captain is not a killer," Spock said flatly. "None of us are."

Pike gave him an annoyed glance. "Thank you lieutenant. I can speak for myself, even though it might not be necessary in this case," he said in an uncharacteristically chilly tone. "I do not appreciate being mentally assaulted on someone else's terms and conditions. I've had enough of that."

The rest of the crewmen shared curious glances at the revelation from their superior officer.

"You liked Vina," He'tef said with a faint upward curl to his lips. "No, it was more than that."

Pike meet his eyes squarely. "If that is what you choose to believe," he replied in a subdued voice without a hint of emotion. "Then so be it."

He'tef nodded. "Very well," he said and studied the pale human before him. "My apologies, you're not well enough for this. Please, come with me. The Council Hall of Aralto has not been used for eight thousand years but at least it'll provide us with some comfort."

"You deserve an explanation but it is long and tiresome," the healer, He'to, explained as he looked from Spock, to Nhan, to Ensign Calley and then finally at Captain Pike. "We'll tell you everything but first, let us go to the Council Hall."

OOOOOO

_To be continued _


	19. Restoration

**Chapter Nineteen**

_Restoration_

Tracy Pollard stared at the empty transporter pads and sighed. It wasn't often she felt so helpless. She considered running down to flight deck and take a shuttlepod to the surface but what good would that do? Where would she look? She needed the resources onboard the ship to locate Captain Pike first, otherwise it would all be for nothing.

"Agent Tyler," she said seriously. "I need to get up to the bridge. Someone must be able to do something."

Ash nodded. "Somehow, I have a feeling all the sensors have been jammed," he replied sarcastically as he took off toward the turbolift.

Tracy ran after him and timed it so that they stepped into the lift simultaneously.

The intercom sounded and woman's voice came over the line. _"Doctor Pollard. This is security, please respond." _

Tracy quickly pushed the button to answer. "This is Doctor Pollard. Go ahead," she said.

"_We have a video feed showing Commander Burnham assisting Captain Pike out of sickbay, doctor,"_ the security officer reported. _"Do you have any idea as of why she would do that?" _

"None at the moment," Tracy replied. "Thank you. Doctor Pollard out."

Ash gritted his teeth. 'It wasn't like Michael to take it upon herself to-,' a sly grin suddenly spread over his lips. Correction, it was typical of Michael to take it upon herself to help the captain. He frowned as he ran a hand through his unruly black hair, which was currently tied back into a bun. Michael hadn't known anything more than anyone else when they'd last spoken – or had she?

He froze as he remembered her slurred words about Doctor Culber's presence in sickbay. It must have been an illusion, just like the woman named Vina had been. Ash swallowed. He could only hope that the illusion had been benevolent and not lured Michael to take the captain down to the planet to meet with something sinister.

Tyler smirked. He knew her. Michael would never forgive herself if she put Captain Pike in danger. Certainly not after the tragedy involving Captain Georgiou. It still troubled her; the mutiny that caused her former commanding officer's death. As for Captain Lorca. Ash shook his head. That man had made both him and Michael weary and cautious; all for the right reasons it seemed.

The doctor sighed deeply next to him as she reached up with her hand to rub at her temples.

"We'll find them, doctor," he said reassuringly. "Somehow."

OOOOOO

The room was large and richly decorated. The windows went almost from the floor level to the ceiling, around 4 meters above them. It looked like a strange mix of an old stylish mansion and a bright, white-painted, hospital facility. A heavy, ellipse-shaped wooden table stood in the middle of the room, its dark surface reflecting the green tinted glow from the artificial light outside.

A sense of amazement compelled the three standing CTP participants to hesitate at the door while the rest of them filed into the room to take a seat. Lieutenant Lesley nodded at the young ensigns as he went by and motioned for them to get in.

Pike sank back into a large, comfortable chair and sighed; trying to keep his eyes open.

"Captain," Culber called, obviously concerned, as he gently knelt next to him and ran the medical tricorder over him.

The little gadget seemed to be in perfect working order because it chirped unhappily as the doctor finished taking his readings. "We should get back to the ship," he reasoned unhappily.

Pike opened his eyes, not sure when he'd actually closed them in the first place, to look at the medically trained man. He gave a slight nod as to show he understood what the good doctor meant but his words contradicted his body language. "Noted, doctor," he said in a subdued voice. "I realize I'm not fit for command but, please, unless there isn't anyone in immediate danger,-"

"Captain," Culber argued, almost inaudible. "I know this is a first contact of a sort and that there is a possibility of finding out the intent behind the seven red signals but this is not acceptable."

Pike eyed him with a mixture of annoyance and weariness.

"Nhan, Spock, Calley-, all of them, -belong in sickbay where I can run tests-," he steeled himself and leveled his eyes with his superior officer. "_You_ are putting your own life at risk while being here. While your vitals have stabilized, you're far from fine. With all due respect, sir, stubbornness is one thing, idiocy is another."

Pike actually broke into a grin at that.

Culber felt an odd sense of relief at seeing his superior officer amused. He'd almost expected such a decorated officer to demote him back to lieutenant for such talk. He knew he was bordering on insubordination but he couldn't let it pass. Hugh liked and respected Pike. He was afraid to lose him. Not just because Pike was a good captain but because Hugh considered him part of the _Discovery_ family now. It was with a sense of pride and despair that the doctor realized that Pike had truly meant what he'd said earlier; _"I give my life for you. You give your life for me and no will be left behind." _

He'tef studied Pike for a moment and pursed his thin white lips into a slight smirk. "I am afraid that we've misjudged you and your crew captain," he said seriously.

Pike waved his apology and concern away. "It's quite all right," he assured the alien.

He'tef shook his head and shared a solemn look with the healer. "No, captain, it is not," he said simply.

"Chancellor He'tef. If I may ask," Spock spoke up. "In what way are these events connected to us?"

"All will be revealed to you in due time," the slim alien promised. "You are safe here now."

A third alien suddenly appeared in the doorway and nodded at He'tef. "The process of awakening has begun," he said and bowed his head before he left again.

The chancellor looked around the room filled with a mixture of species. He watched the humans, the Kelpien, the Barzan and the Vulcan with renewed hope for a moment and nodded. "It is time that we face the truth; face our future. It seems that, at least now, we _have_ a future."

They patiently waited for him to continue.

"You see, the Arax system was flourishing eight thousand years ago. We'd just begun to travel amongst the stars-," he paused and then clarified. "We'd had the technology for centuries but we didn't deem it necessary to roam the galaxy. We had everything we needed on Arax VI."

There was a pause as the alien glanced out the large window and up at the sunlight that filtered in. "Forgive me, it feels like yesterday; all of it."

"A meteor shower," Michael suggested.

He'tef shook his head. "Actually, it was more than that. One day our scientists found a large asteroid travelling in such a way that it would eradicate all life on this planet. We recalled most of our spaceships, those that we'd sent away, and tried to deviate the asteroid from our planet. We managed to diminish its size, resulting in what would be best described as a meteor showers. Debris rained down the planet. It severed the connection between the surface and the vessels. It destroyed the sensitive space buoys that worked as a life-line between us. Chaos ensued on the surface, people were afraid, they began talking about the prophecy told for generations about an ending so devastating, so vengeful, that it would tear the planet apart."

"After days of fighting amongst ourselves as well as in space; against the asteroid, we lost. The large portion that remained crashed into the surface of Arax VI," He'to added solemnly.

Tilly unconsciously gripped the armrests of the chair tighter as the alien recounted the days of the apocalypse. She dared a glance at the others; Nhan looked weary, Calley was dozing in her chair, Portland and Royce stared at the alien, Spock sat ramrod straight in his chair and kept an eye on the captain every now and then, so did Doctor Culber. Saru listened closely to what the chancellor had to say, he looked saddened as he leaned back in his chair. Tilly's eyes finally landed upon Pike and let her eyes linger on him for a moment too long. Even slouched in a chair, he had that aura of command around him. He was pale and tired yet he managed to look commanding, like a force that could be reckoned with. To her he was an anchor in the storm.

He'tef glanced around the table and sighed. "Our largest spaceship had escaped the chaos unscratched and in order to ensure that our race would survive, we sent our foremost scientists, doctors, military officers and politicians into space in hopes that they'd find another place to live. The omen, as some people called it, manifested itself as an ash cloud that covered the entire sky. The weather changed, darkness came upon us, the ecosystem destabilized. Rain fell upon us, mixed with debris and ash, the sun never showed itself again for as long as I was around."

"Forgive me, He'tef," Spock began slowly. "-but this underground system and the large city we're currently residing in must have taken years to build."

The alien nodded. "Yes, Aralto was one of the cities built after the catastrophe. The surface was uninhabitable after the impact. People scattered, some of them set out for higher grounds to build a new life, none of them made it. However, there was nothing we could have done to stop them, they said they would rather die trying than to settle for a life underground and never see the sun again."

"Forgive me, ah, sir," Tilly began softly. "But you are able to project the most stunning illusions to us. Why can't you project something for yourselves?"

He'to smiled. "If you're referring to the people on the surface, it is just a program that runs continuously. It is projected by a powerful monument."

Saru nodded. "Yes, we saw it," he said. "It appears to be damaged."

The healer sighed. "As to answer Ensign Tilly's question first. You simply cannot create an illusion good enough to fool yourself, reality is always lurking around the corner, so to speak."

She chuckled jovially and schooled her expression at the look she received from several of the others.

"As you noted Commander Saru, it is broken." He'to said seriously. "The monument was built as a mean to recreate the days of the calamity and to preserve our history should no one survive. It was constructed much later, almost a thousand years later. The ship, before it left us, deployed warning buoys to warn space travelling species off but we figured someone would eventually come this way."

"But how did you survive?" Tilly blurted.

He'tef's voice sounded strained and sad as he looked at her with a patient and fatherly expression. "A few hundred of us were put into stasis. We never had time to perfect the technology and many of us died in the process but it was the only way at the time," he explained.

"Then your descendants built the city," Reno deduced and frowned. "Or cities, perhaps?"

He'to nodded. "Those who remained awake," he said. "But their lifespan was severely shorter than average due to the planets disturbed ecosystem. Crops froze or dried, the animals eventually died out and a horrible disease spread amongst those who remained on the surface."

"A pathogen," Culber guessed. "It came with the asteroid."

The healer nodded. "That is correct doctor. It so mercilessly killed thousands until there was almost no one left. In the end we found a cure but the damage had already been done. None of you have the symptoms of the pathogen, which leaves me to conclude that after so many years the virus has been rendered harmless."

"The captain got sick," Tilly argued softly and winced when she noticed him look at her, his white lips pursed into a thin line of displeasure and his eyes narrowed.

"For entirely different reasons," He'to assured her. "If any of you had succumbed to the pathogen, you would have perished within a day or two."

Tilly shuddered at that.

"You had the capability to travel among the stars. Your planet got hit by an asteroid after several failed attempts to prevent the disaster. It resulted in chaos, death and poverty amongst the people on the surface. The top officials fled on the only remaining spaceship in hopes of finding somewhere else to live while most of those who remained died out," Spock summarized.

Pike carefully cocked an eyebrow at the rather blunt recollection of the events. However, none of the aliens seemed to be offended.

"Diplomatic," Michael mouthed from across the table.

Pike's lips twitched in quiet amusement.

Spock merely raised an eyebrow in return.

"Unfortunately that is the truth," He'tef said with a nod yet he still stood tall and proud. "While I do realize how it sounds when put into words, there is no comparison to what it was like experiencing it first-hand."

"My apologies if I have offended you in any way," Spock said.

"No, my Vulcan friend," He'tef assured him. "I believe it is I who have offended you."

"I am afraid that I don't understand," Michael spoke up quizzically.

"When your probe first entered our orbit a few years ago it was not enough to engage the security systems that would awake us," He'to explained. "It was the Guardian, the one who oversees the stasis pods, who judged it to be lethal and dangerous as it landed on the surface."

He'tef shook his head sadly. "Several attempts has been made to land on the surface before by hostile settlers over the last few hundred years. I have seen them in illusions given to me by the Guardian. I do not know of their species but they seem taller than you, sturdier, perhaps not so bright,-"

Tilly caught herself before she let out a snort. He'tef might not intentionally be funny but she liked the alien.

He'tef eyed her sternly for a moment and then broke into a cautious smile at her before he glanced around the table.

Pike leaned forward in his chair and clasped his hands together on the table. He was white as a sheet but his eyes remained clear and bright. "Forgive me, chancellor, but we know nothing of this quadrant."

He'tef nodded in understanding. "Yes, the _Discovery_," he said enigmatically.

"There is a powerful presence here. One that you don't want to cross. If you do, I fear a new war would be brought upon you," the healer explained dejectedly. "In some ways, it is similar to what you call the United Federation of Planets but it requires obedience from those who seeks membership. It's called the Dominion."

"We believed it was their doing," He'tef added solemnly. "They seek to expand their domain, to rule others. They overpower others and make them act on beliefs that are forced upon them. Now, the Dominion cannot harm us but we can harm them, or_ it_ might be a better word."

"No one should be forced to take actions they do not want to participate in," Pike reasoned softly.

"An ideal thought, Captain Pike," He'tef concurred. "But this is not an ideal world."

OOOOOO

_To be continued _


	20. Damaged

**Chapter Twenty**

_Damaged _

The healer glanced around the table. "When your probe landed, it was damaged, the message was garbled and it took the Guardian months to break the language barrier. Your written words are not that easy to understand for us, our communication is done mostly by telepathy and pictures. We have not used any spoken or written language for thousands of years."

He'to nodded at He'tef as he continued the explanation. "Which is probably why we believed that the Dominion had expanded further and brought you to your knees so that you could be of use to them. You appeared to be a resourceful race and we grew concerned. In order to prevent you from acquiring power we decided to wake up some of our most prominent engineers, still present on Arax VI. We remodeled the probe and sent it back into space in hope that it would find the ship that sent it and destroy it."

"It nearly did," Pike said darkly.

"You attacked the Flagship of Starfleet; of the Federation. _Our_ Guardian, if I may say so," Spock said calmly. "It is a direct violation of every written protocol, the end result could have been war."

"But you didn't know who attacked you," He'tef reasoned. "And you would never have found it out if, dare I say, fate hadn't intervened."

"Starfleet sent every available ships out to search for anyone with the technology to cripple the _Enterprise_," Pike said coldly and then glanced around the room. "What I am about to say here is classified and will stay between us. Is that clear?"

A chorus of yes sir could be heard around the table.

"While the Klingons are powerful they don't use those kinds of methods," Pike said seriously. "The _Enterprise_ made it to space dock and was laid up for an overhaul for four months. It was covered up as a maintenance job. To the relatives of the deceased, I had to write that my officers and crewmen performed their duty flawlessly and that they died as true heroes while exploring the galaxy. They could not be told that their loved ones died in an unprovoked attack of the ship and that the enemy was unknown."

Tilly gulped at the harsh tone of his voice. Pike was always soft spoken and kind; now he seemed dangerous, with a haunted look in his blue eyes. She carefully glanced at Spock and Nhan who'd been present during the attack. Spock showed no outward sign that he might be upset or angry about the incident but Nhan appeared solemn with a mixture of anger and despair written all over her face.

The alien looked sheepish for a moment, almost ashamed, as he glanced away. "Again, Captain Pike. I am truly sorry on the behalf of my people. We were only trying to protect ourselves."

"Captain?" Tilly asked curiously. "What happened after that?"

Pike turned directly to her. "The_ Enterprise_ was repaired and restocked, several new crewmen and officers where brought onboard to fill the vacant positions," he explained. "We shipped out again to continue our five-year-mission."

"Thirteen months later, the Klingon-Federation war came upon us," Nhan added.

"We received orders not to turn back home. Given our own dire predicament at the time, I am not sure we would have been able to leave and return anyway," Pike filled in.

"Your own private little hell," Michael whispered under her breath as she recalled their earlier conversation, before they'd set course for the Arax system.

Pike turned to his science officer with a weary look.

"Even if we had made it-," Spock spoke up for the first time in several minutes. "-there would have been nothing we could have done to change the outcome. The _Enterprise_ was crippled, severed in two; the saucer section and the star drive section."

Pike smirked as he noted that everyone's attention suddenly rested on Spock. The war they'd been dragged into between the different species in the nebula far, far away from Federation space wasn't common knowledge. The report may not have been heavily classified but it wasn't easily accessible either.

Spock turned to the man he considered to be his mentor and friend. "Captain, I must apologize for my behavior after you found me on that desolate planet. I did not realize it at the time but the 'Red Angel' was trying to show me the destruction of all sentient life in the galaxy. I kept seeing Earth, Vulcan, Q'onoS, Andoria; all being destroyed."

Pike turned to look at his Vulcan science officer. "I am glad that the Talosians were able to get you back with us," he said kindly and glanced around the table, deciding to steer the conversation back on track. "When the _Enterprise_ was finally able to set a course back toward Federation space, we received a communique that you'd reached an agreement and that the war had ended."

"That's when seven red signals appeared to us in synchronization. At first, we believed it was connected to the attack upon our ship. We tried to follow their lead but they appeared so far away from us and so widely spread, that it was impossible to make any sense out of the phenomena," Nhan explained.

"In order to follow up on the seven red signals, I received word that I was to be given temporary command of the _Discovery_ while the_ Enterprise_ went back to space dock for extensive repairs."

"Did they warn you about us, sir?" Tilly asked softly with a smile.

For the first time Pike hesitated. "They told me you'd been through a lot. Things no one should be forced to go through," he answered enigmatically.

"Thank you, sir," Michael said with a fond smile from across the table. "For coming."

Pike managed a faint smile.

"When you first arrived here, captain," He'tef said. "The Guardian monitored your actions with great interest. The monument began to play its prerecorded loop, as it always does. The technology is old, even by our standards, and does not run its course in the right sequence," he smiled a little as he said the last couple of words and turned to the Kelpien.

Saru straightened in his chair. "It was meant to show us what happened immediately after the asteroid hit the planet," he guessed. "But I do not understand."

"But I think I do," Tilly said as she turned to He'tef. "You said it was replayed in random order. Those poor souls that followed us, with ragged and torn clothes, they were the ones that tried to settle on the surface, weren't they? But the prolonged exposure to the contaminated air, the collapse of the ecosystem and the newly released pathogen made them sick and starving."

The alien nodded. "Very good, Ensign Tilly," he commended and then turned apologetically toward Saru with a sideway glance at Pike. "It wasn't intentional, Commander Saru, to scare you and cause you to fall down the slope."

The Kelpien nodded.

"It was a breathtaking view," Pike offered with a dimpled smile.

Ensign Tilly bit her lower lip not to chuckle, she adored his humor. Out of the corner of her eye she also saw Reno and Nhan share a smile.

He'tef nodded and then continued where he'd been interrupted earlier. "The sensors on your ship are advanced but not overly so and it was easy to disturb your equipment. However, to probe your minds were nothing but a challenge for us."

"How so?" Spock asked curiously.

"As I said before, while the ship might have been unfamiliar, it quickly became clear that Captain Pike was not," he explained seriously as he looked from Saru to said captain.

"When you tried to probe the captain's mind for information," Michael began cunningly, "You came across the Talosians and Vina, not only that, but the image of the _Enterprise_ and the probe."

"We assumed that you were here for retribution," He'to explained. "To make us pay for what we'd done. There would seem to be no other reason for you to turn up here, on a desolated world so far from your home planet."

"I am glad you didn't destroy the _Discovery_ when we first entered orbit," Pike said.

"We do not have weapons capable of destroying your ship while it's orbiting the planet," He'tef replied. "Our defense posts are long gone."

The captain nodded. "I did not come here for retribution," he said softly. "We came because of your signaling system – the red signal in the sky. But, as I said, we have been searching for the race behind the vicious attack on the _Enterprise_ ever since it happened. We do not respond well to unprovoked violence."

"We understand now that it was a means of first contact," He'tef said. "Your probe - that is - and not some attack the Dominion forced you to launch."

"You have to understand, Captain Pike, that ever since the asteroid hit the surface of the planet nothing has been the same," He'to explained.

"It was still a criminal act," Spock said bluntly, in a true Vulcan manner.

"As you beamed back onboard your ship it became harder to probe you," He'to said seriously as he looked at Pike directly. "Our mind-probing is not without side-effects, as some of you have come to be aware of."

He'tef frowned. "I have to ask, Captain Pike, if you all survived-,"

"I believe I told you that we did _not_ all survive," Pike interrupted coldly. "And I'm sure you saw all that too."

The alien looked sheepish for a moment. "My apologies, captain," he said. "Why have you not brought the _Enterprise_ with you?"

Michael stepped in. "As we're searching for seven red signals in the sky the_ Discovery_ is better equipped to carry out that particular mission due to her extraordinary drive unit," she explained.

"Now, I have a question for you," Pike said. "Why did you bring Vina into all of this? I want the truth this time."

"Because you loved her, captain," He'tef replied bluntly. "What better way to lure you into death than by your woman?"

Tilly didn't dare to look at Pike.

"I will never trust her again, thanks to you," he said sourly.

"Doctor Culber," He'to said as he addressed Hugh. "I believe you asked us before why you weren't able to find anything wrong with the captain?"

Hugh nodded. "You answered it was an intricate process," he said.

He'to nodded. "Our race has always been able to probe the minds of others, to create illusions, to live intricate lives within ourselves. It is a curse and a blessing all at once. Your instruments will never be able to pick up residue from an encounter with us because it's all in the mind. When we access memories we access everything that it contains. Injuries and diseases that are connected with memories are brought up to the surface, it's a strain from the probing that cannot be healed, at least not conventionally. "

Hugh nodded. "I see," he said.

"Every living humanoid, no matter the race, reacts differently to it depending on various things, such as age, mental capabilities, experience,-" He'to trailed off as he glanced around to face Pike, Spock, Nhan, Michael and Calley. "Some are killed while some are not affected at all."

Hugh shuddered at that as he followed the alien's gaze around the table.

"I am curious," Spock said suddenly. "Do you experience linear time?" At the look of confusion upon the other's faces he simply clarified. "When I was touched by the 'Red Angel' I was pushed out of synchronization with regular time. The Talosians brought me back and anchored me here. If my assumptions are correct you do not experience time as we do with your mindset."

He'tef sighed wearily. "Time can be mastered and bent in places that gives us remarkable insights. However, to change the time is dangerous and the outcome of such an act is unpredictable, dangerous even. In the wrong hands the knowledge of time-shifting can cause annihilation," he cautioned.

Spock nodded a thought back upon the speech he had given his foster sister after she'd lost her mother for a second time. He'd told her that the present mattered and that nothing was predestined to be. That it was they who decided their future and that it depended on the outcome of their actions.

"Do you feel that something is wrong?" Michael asked curiously as she saw her mother before her, being pulled toward the time-rift on Essof IV.

The chancellor studied her seriously for a moment, something dark clouding his vision. "Life is complicated enough without changing the time," he said enigmatically. "One day you will understand what I'm talking about."

Michael looked away for a moment, trying to compose herself – she already knew.

"Do you?" Tilly pushed curiously as she wanted to hear the answer to her friend's question. "Feel that something is wrong I mean."

"It does not work that way," He'to pointed out. "Those who have the abilities to see into the future must shield their minds or they will go crazy. That is because the future cannot be predetermined."

Spock looked up at that.

"The variables are endless. The outcome depends upon the actions you choose for yourself and on the actions taken by others to either prevent you from succeeding with your plans or help you get further on your way. It is a veil woven by species across the universe, of actions dependent on each other," He'tef finished.

Spock nodded seriously. "That is logical," he concurred. "However, that is not a direct answer to Ensign Tilly's question."

"Chancellor," Pike began seriously. "The reason as to why we're chasing the red signals is because we believe it's a guiding system from the future, set by someone who wants to correct the timeline."

"As I said before," He'tef cautioned. "Time changes every minute. Nothing is ever the same. There are endless deviations. If you, as you say, correct the timeline then other catastrophes will follow in its wake. Perhaps the peril will be even more dangerous and sinister than the one you're trying to prevent."

Michael shook her head sadly. "No," she whispered. "Nothing can be more serious or sinister than an AI that tries to wipe out all the sentient life in the galaxy."

The aliens remained silent at that but shared a saddened look. "You're not the first and will not be the last to try and correct the flow of time. There are many mythical and mysterious things in the universe, on different planes of existence, that can interfere. The only reference to what must and mustn't be is to be found in the time portal - the Guardian of Forever," He'tef finally explained.

"The Guardian of Forever?" Pike questioned.

"It is-, complicated to explain," He'to replied.

Michael dared not to think about what the Guardian of Forever was displaying and pushed the thoughts of gloom aside.

"Your signal system," Tilly finally asked as she tried to steer the conversation back on track. "What is it?"

The two aliens hesitated for a moment and then He'tef nodded at He'to. The healer turned to look directly at Michael.

"Commander Burnham. You do not know how to properly shield your mind," he said regrettably. "I am sorry for the loss of your mother."

She looked away as she felt tears sting in her eyes. She forced herself to keep it together but the loss was still fresh in her mind.

"We sensed the great anxiety and loss from you when we tried to make you understand that you needed to bring the captain to us," He'tef explained. "Combined with what you involuntarily showed us and the memories we've collected from Captain Pike, it is obvious why you came to search for another signal here."

Saru leaned forward in his chair. "It _is_ your technology the 'Red Angel' is using," he deduced.

Spock raised an eyebrow and turned to the Kelpien while Pike and Burnham shared a skeptical look.

"Yes," He'tef admitted.

OOOOOO

_To be continued _


	21. The Red Signals

**Chapter Twenty-One**

_The Red Signals _

Doctor Pollard burst through the doors of the turbolift and onto the bridge, Ash Tyler following closely behind her, surprising both Detmer and Owo as well as Bryce and Rhys.

"Doctor?" Detmer stated with a frown. "What's going on?"

Ash quickly walked across the room and came to stand between the operations officer and the helmsman. "Did sensors register anything when the captain beamed down to the surface?" he asked seriously.

The bridge crew turned to him in surprise at the revelation.

"Agent Tyler, I'm afraid I don't follow," Bryce began and then turned to face the doctor, who'd come to stand next to the communications officer. "Captain Pike is seriously ill. He's unconscious, is he not?"

Tracy pursed her lips into a thin line, her expression a mix of concern and anger. "Commander Burnham and Captain Pike beamed down to Arax VI a short time ago," she explained. "We tried to follow but the transporter conveniently couldn't get a lock."

Bryce looked surprised.

"As for Captain Pike's condition," the doctor continued. "He is not well enough to leave sickbay even though he's been improving for the last couple of hours. He's been slipping in and out of consciousness and he's running a fever that is too high for my liking. I'm both intrigued and amazed by the fact that he actually managed to get off the ship. Commander Burnham is certainly not strong enough to carry him."

"Do you believe the Araxians have something to do with it?" Detmer asked curiously.

"How would that even be possible?" Rhys wondered aloud.

"Didn't you read the flyer before you applied for Starfleet?" Tyler teased lightly with a faint grin. "Expect the unexpected."

Owo smirked behind his back and shook her head as Bryce rolled his eyes.

"Is there any way we can contact Starfleet?" Tracy asked.

Bryce shook his head dejectedly. "I'm sorry doctor but we're truly alone out here. There is nothing I can do. We're cut off from communicating to anyone at the moment."

Annoyed, Tracy briefly caught herself thinking about her application for transfer which she'd handed in before being posted onboard the _Discovery_. About her desire to board the _Enterprise_ for the five-year-mission. She suddenly realized she would have had a hard time to adapt to that. To go on without backup, to run out of supplies, to not have access to the rest of the Fleet and be able to discuss things with the rest of the doctors there, share her latest research. Of course, there had been a time when Discovery had been stranded in the mirror universe but it had been so surreal that she didn't know what to make of it.

Pike, on the other hand, was used to strange things; he had several years of experience with strange phenomenon and knew what it was like to be truly alone in deep space. If he had been on the bridge, he would have known what to do; how to handle the situation. Unfortunately, the people under his command at this very moment didn't have his experience, his talent for knowing what to do or how to help him in the current situation. She was deeply concerned for his well-being and she would give anything to get down to the surface and get him back. If only Michael had allowed her to take the captain with her in the shuttle as she'd suggested.

"Didn't you admit Commander Burnham to sickbay as well?" Rhys asked carefully.

Tracy nodded. "Yes, she was hallucinating," the doctor explained.

"She seemed fine on the bridge earlier," Detmer pointed out.

"I don't know what it is but there is something going on down there and we need to find out what is happening," Tyler said through gritted teeth as he stabbed a finger at the view screen. "Come on, Doctor Pollard, we're taking a shuttle."

"I'm afraid that wouldn't be possible," Nilsson reported from her station.

"What do you mean?" Tracy asked.

"I've just received reports from engineering that the doors to flight deck have been sealed," she let on. "The doors will not open to any command."

OOOOOO

"Wait a minute," Reno drawled. "That's not possible. We've never been here before."

"Not you, Commander Reno," He'tef said enigmatically. "As time is fluent, I cannot say when exactly but enough time has passed between the visits that I know nothing about it and I'm afraid that my predecessor is dead. However, from the visions, I do know that she looked like an angel."

Michael looked at him slack jawed.

"Are you saying that the 'Red Angel' came to you to seek your help?" Pike asked curiously, with a frown.

"No, no," Tilly protested lightly. "Doctor Burnham didn't know about the seven red signals."

"And she was the 'Red Angel'," Doctor Culber mused.

"Are you sure about that doctor?" Spock stated. "I believe you said that the 'Red Angel' was Michael."

"I can't be, Spock," she reasoned softly as she glanced across the table at her foster brother with sadness in her eyes. "Wouldn't I know such a thing?"

"The red signals are obviously a great achievement," Reno said. "What function where they originally supposed to fill?"

"It was a homing beacon," He'tef explained. "In ancient times it was used to recall those who were lost in space during our first subspace flight across the solar system. It was an invention developed before its time."

"So, someday, somehow, our 'Red Angel' learns of your technology and uses it for her own purposes," Pike said.

"Remember, Captain Pike, that it might have taken her several years, several jumps, to find the system and to understand how it works. If she retrieved it from the Guardian, she did so with his blessing. The being that you are looking for must have adopted the signaling system for her own purposes and intents since the only machine capable of sending them is still hidden deep underground on Arax VI."

Spock eyed Michael for a moment before he turned to He'tef. "I believe her to be a resourceful woman," he said.

"The others have been trying to reach you, we must not let them wait any longer," He'tef said suddenly. "Your transporter should be able to pick up your signals outside this room."

Pike nodded at Saru who immediately got out of his chair, headed out in the corridor and pulled out his communicator from his pocket.

The rest of the officers followed the XO, except Burnham and Culber who stubbornly remained in the room with their captain. Pike sighed as he saw them share a look of concern across the table and then move to stand beside him. He decided to ignore them as he pushed himself out of the chair and slowly began to make his way over to the beautifully arched windows, overlooking the plaza below them. He tried to ignore the gentle hands of Burnham and Culber that rested on each of his arms as they carefully followed his every move.

"I am curious," he began softly as he came to stand next to He'tef. "Is this real or an illusion?"

The lean and tall alien smiled sadly. "Everything you've seen here captain, is real," he assured him kindly. "You have my word."

Pike smirked and then nodded as he followed the alien's gaze outside. "You never told us of the prophecy," he finally said as the last of the officers began to file out of the room.

"Sir," Doctor Culber tried in a friendly manner as he gently squeezed his arm. "It's time to get back onboard."

Pike stole a sideway glance at his science officer and noted that she was as curious as he was, although there was also an underlying concern for his well-being present in her eyes.

Chancellor He'tef's sparkling violet eyes seemed to twinkle for a moment, then he smiled. "Very well, Christopher," he said. "The prophecy tells us of a greater good. Of a being who, when all is lost, will restore the galaxy to what it once was. Of a race that will rise from chaos and rebuild what has been lost for thousands of years. The holy scribble, from which the prophecy was sprung, says that when time comes we will understand, for we will see the angelic features of technology. Up until now I've never considered any part of it to be anything else than an intriguing premonition of something that doesn't exist."

"And now?" Pike asked softly.

He'tef shook his head as a faint tear escaped his eye. "Now, help has arrived to us. Don't you see, Christopher? The help we have been promised comes from you. We might have brought you here but you brought the truth with you – you and your people confirmed the prophecy."

Pike sighed wearily and felt Burnham tighten her grip around his arm.

"I will look for the red signals, all of those remaining. Because I know now that when the seventh signal appears in the sky the battle has been won, for all of us, thanks to you," He'tef finished.

OOOOOO

_To be continued_


	22. Back Onboard

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

_Back Onboard _

Captain Christopher Pike awoke in his own bed with a tired albeit jovial smile creasing his lips. It had taken all of his charm and charisma, and a few arguments, to get the doctors to release him from sickbay so soon after their return to _Discovery_.

Hugh and Tracy had made it very clear when they'd said that it was against their better judgement. He'd argued that there was nothing they could do for him anyway and referred to what He'to had said to Hugh down on the planet. None of them had been convinced but they'd had finally given in; after admitting him to a battery of tests that rivalled Doctor Boyce at his best. His shoulder hurt after the near fall and his ribs were still not fully healed but, except for that, he was just simply exhausted - mentally and physically. They finally had to agree that there was no reason for him to stay in sickbay and that he was on the mend.

Doctor Pollard had been escorting him to his quarters despite his insistence that he was perfectly capable of walking there alone. She'd taken no notice of what he thought about it and followed him anyway, embarrassing him. It had all taken place yesterday evening and he expected one of them, Hugh or Tracy, to knock on his door any minute now to make sure he did nothing but rest. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate their concern for him. He knew it went deeper than caring for their commanding officer because it was required of them, but still, he didn't like to have babysitters, he was too old for that sort of thing.

Pike gingerly got out of bed, made it out in the bathroom and was about to hit the shower, to let the soft water soothe his sore muscles, as he stopped dead in his tracks, passing the mirror. He grimaced at the purple, vivid bruise that still graced the side of his muscled torso and ran up across his collarbone. He leaned forward to get a better look at his face and noted with satisfaction that his skin now had a healthy glow to it. Gone was the sickly pallor that had made him look ashen and fragile. He ran a hand over his jaw and felt the light stubble on his cheek and chin and pursed his lips unhappily. He narrowed his eyes slightly and decided he'd have to do something about that later.

The captain didn't know how long he'd been standing under the shower but he didn't care, this time he allowed himself to relax and enjoy the luxury; it felt good to do it. The water dripped and trickled down his naked body as he reached for a towel and wrapped it around his middle. He gently ran a hand though his graying hair and sighed.

Ten minutes later he was standing in his living room in a casual outfit. He'd put on a pair of black, loose fit, jogging pants and a tight workout top that did nothing to hide his rippled stomach and nicely muscled arms.

He gingerly sat down behind his desk and reached for a tablet when the doorbell chimed. "Come," he said and glanced up, just in time, to see both doctors walk into his quarters.

Pike couldn't help himself and broke into a teasing grin which morphed into a dimpled smirk as he frowned innocently. "Do you come in pair now?" he asked.

Culber responded with a smirk of his own as they walked up to stand opposite their commanding officer. "Considering that the patient has been behaving badly before, we thought it best," he teased lightly.

Pike began to laugh but stopped short as it hurt him to do so. "You just had to make me laugh didn't you?" he replied in a friendly manner.

Culber walked around the desk and knelt beside his superior officer, who remained seated, as Pollard stood back. "How are you feeling, captain?" he asked softly.

"Since both of you are adamant, I'm not allowed back on duty, I think you can call me Chris," he replied.

"Nice deflection," the doctor commended as he ran the medical tricorder over his patient.

Pike sighed in relief as the tricorder didn't chirp and nodded toward the little gadget. "I seem to be doing fine," he deduced.

Culber nodded as he studied the readings for a moment and put the tricorder away. "Fine might not be a word I'd use, not yet,-" he hesitated for a moment then added; "Chris."

"Captain," Tracy began seriously as she took a step forward to stand on his other side. "Chris," she corrected. "I know you _think_ you're fine and that you're ready to return to duty but, please, you have to give yourself time to heal properly. And I'm not just talking about your physical injuries here," she pointed out kindly as she gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"The fact is, Chris, that your heart stopped on two occasions" Hugh said softly. "In medical terms it means we lost you and got you back, not once but twice. You've been gliding in and out of consciousness for days, you've been running a dangerously high temperature and I am frankly amazed that you're coping this well all things considered."

Pike sighed.

"We care about what happens to you. You are part of our family, sir," Hugh offered. "And as to answer your earlier question – yes, we will give our life for you."

Pike's heart swelled at that and he broke into a genuine grin as he leaned back in his chair to look from Hugh and Tracy and then back again. He gave them a careful nod of appreciation.

"Now, if you promise, and I mean _promise_, to take it easy for a few days I think we can agree on letting you back on light duty," Tracy said.

"Very light duty," Hugh added. "You can read some reports, have a stroll around the deck, that's it. No inspection tours around the entire ship, no bridge duty and definitely no visit to the surface of the planet."

"Point taken," Pike replied. "But I need to talk to He'tef and arrange a few things. Then we need to set up the medical field day-,"

"Captain," Hugh cautioned lightly as he raised his hands to stop him. "Did you not listen to a word of what I just said?"

"There are things I need to coordinate," he replied seriously.

Tracy and Hugh shared a look and then nodded. "Very well, but please delegate as much as possible to Michael and Saru, they can handle it, trust me," Culber said seriously.

Pike nodded. "I promise," he said.

"See that you do," Tracy said softly as the two doctors turned toward the door.

OOOOOO

"It surely is a fine piece of machinery," Reno said with a grin as she eyed the monument up close.

"Please, stop drooling over it," Stamets replied.

"Hey, what are you so grumpy for?" she quipped jovially. "You had so much fun the last time you visited the planet – bungee jumping and all."

Paul huffed as he refocused on the instrument in his hand. "I don't understand why you requested my help," he said.

"Why, you're good at what you do, commander, so am I," Reno replied cockily. "Let's have some fun and repair this monument; restore it to its former glory."

"As long as you don't start it before I'm out of here," he remarked. "I don't want to see those people again any time soon."

"Relax they're just holograms," Reno reasoned. "Of course, He'tef and the others added a little nice touch by making us think they were solid from time to time. I heard Lesley and Barnes complain about having a phaser pointed at them at one occasion," she chuckled. "I would have loved to see their faces."

"You know, Reno, sometimes you can be so sadistic," Stamets replied dryly.

"And you need to get out of your comfort zone every now and then, it makes life much more fun," she said with a smirk.

"I can assure you, I was totally out of my comfort zone when I injected myself with the tardigrade DNA," he replied.

She shrugged. "That was one time. You have to do it again and again," she reasoned as she began to disassemble the array before her. "Come on, I bet this son of a bitch will be up and running before noon tomorrow."

OOOOOO

"Ash," Michael whispered as they met up in the corridor outside sickbay.

They held each other's gaze for a moment before they embraced in a hug, both of them letting out a sigh of relief.

"I tried to get to you," he said softly as he breathed in her fruity perfume and smelled the apple blossom in her newly showered hair.

"I know, Ash, and I wish I could have explained but there was no time," she whispered as she let her head come to rest against his chest. "I had to save the captain, save all of us, and there was only one way I could do that."

He nodded as he let his chin come to rest on top of her head and closed his eyes.

"I was afraid you'd stop me," she said as she detangled herself from his arms and looked at him sadly.

Tyler shook his head. "I trust you, Michael," he assured her.

She studied him for a moment. "I wish you hadn't left, Ash. Why did you have to join Section 31?"

"I've told you why," he replied solemnly.

"And I didn't believe you, not really," she admitted. "You're no misfit, Ash. You might have been through a lot, but we all have, believe me. I- I've missed having you around since you left."

"Michael," he whispered fondly. "You'll always have a special place in my heart. Would it make you feel better if I said I decided to use my position on the Section 31 ship to keep tabs on Leland and to make sure the _Discovery_ was safe?"

"I remember Captain Pike being furious with you for not announcing Section 31's presence when we rescued Tilly from the network and, to be frank, I was too," she said seriously.

"It wasn't my call to make," he reasoned. "Leland wasn't happy with my decision to contact him."

"So, he would have preferred to see _Discovery_ get stuck and then succumb to the network?" she pushed skeptically. "Sometimes Captain Leland and Captain Lorca seem to be one and the same; their greediness for power and domination sickens me."

"But not Emperor Georgiou's methods?" he replied incredulously.

Michael sighed. "She's- different," she replied.

"Is she?" he stated. "She's slippery. I fail to understand what it is you see in her, but then again, I've never had the opportunity to serve under Captain Philippa Georgiou. She looks the same, I give you that, but beyond the appearance-," he trailed off.

"I had to bring her here. I had to save her from the mirror universe," she whispered.

"Why?" he challenged. "Because of guilt? Because of some weird sense of loyalty to a woman you don't know?"

"Get off my back, Ash," she said angrily as she took a step back and ran a hand through her hair.

"You should have left her where she belonged, Michael," he said kindly, the former edge to his tone of voice gone.

Her anger deflated. "I couldn't, I just couldn't, Ash," she whispered. "She was my mentor and friend-," she paused as a tear threatened to escape her eye. "I let her down. I didn't listen."

"Come here," he said softly and pulled her close. He held her gently for a moment, embracing her, wanting to assure her everything would be all right.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Michael, you don't have to be strong all the time, trust me. I'll be here for you," he said seriously.

They held each other for a moment as a comfortable silence settled over the empty corridor.

OOOOOO

_To be continued_


	23. A Helping Hand

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

_A Helping Hand _

Tilly grinned with excitement and rubbed her hands together as she glanced around the spacious room with the life-pods. "This place is enormous," she marveled. "Imagine that it has been here for eight thousand years. Imagine that _they_ have been in here for eight thousand years."

Saru nodded at her with a fond smile. "I too am intrigued, Ensign Tilly," he said as he followed her gaze.

"Captain Pike would have loved to see this up close," she said happily. "I mean, really, seen it up close."

"After everything Captain Pike has been through, I don't expect him to be anywhere else than in his quarters and rest," Saru replied seriously.

Tilly's mood plummeted suddenly at his words. She didn't want to think about how close they'd come to lose their captain.

Upon seeing her stricken face the Kelpien beamed at her softly and nodded. "I'm sure he'll come down when he's better," he suggested. "Don't worry, ensign, the captain will be all right and he's pretty cunning. If I didn't know better I'd say he's already back on light duty, convincing the doctors that he's fine."

Tilly brightened at that and nodded. "I hope I can make him proud one day," she said.

"I'm sure you will. In fact, I do believe that you already have," Saru said. "Captain Pike thinks you're one of the best qualified ensigns in the command training program."

"Oh my gosh," she said happily and then hesitated. "You're not pulling my leg now, are you?"

Saru shook his head and chuckled. "Certainly not," he replied.

A shimmer of light suddenly appeared as Doctor Culber, a few medical technicians, two nurses and Lieutenant Lesley materialized next to them.

Tilly jumped as He'to stepped out of the shadows a moment later to welcome them all.

"Greetings," the healer said as he bowed his head at them. "I'm grateful that you've come."

"We all promised to help you," Culber said. "And that's what we're going to do. We'll bring your people out of the stasis pods and see to it that the awakening process goes smoothly."

He'to nodded solemnly as he glanced around the room. "Some will not awaken. After so many years-, he trailed off and shook his head sadly. "The Guardian can no longer hear the voices of rows two and four and row fourteen is fluctuating."

"We'll make sure as many of you as possible survives the process of awakening," Culber said seriously.

He'to nodded. "There is no turning back now, we need to recolonize the planet, need to learn to live again, the right way, the way we were supposed to live."

"I am afraid time is of the essence," Saru cautioned. "Even though we're far away, I'm sure that 'control' is looking for a way to find us; to find _Discovery_ and the sphere data."

"We have to be ready when that happens or we'll lose everything," Lieutenant Lesley said gloomily.

"I regret that we cannot offer protection from the AI," He'to said. "Our illusions are powerless against such a threat. However, as you mentioned the Arax system is situated so far away from your last known position that it would be highly unlikely for it to find you here."

OOOOOO

Ensign Calley smiled as she noticed Royce and Portland walk through the door to sickbay and make a beeline for her. "Hey, guys," she managed.

"Hey," Portland greeted. "You look better, almost back to normal now."

She nodded. "Doctor Pollard says I'll be able to leave in a day or two and get back to my quarters."

"How was it?" Royce asked. "To get probed by those strange aliens?"

Something forlorn came upon her as she glanced around the room. "It's hard to explain," she finally answered. "It's like someone is walking through your home and takes possession of all your things, rearranging them. You see it but you can't do anything about it."

Portland made a face.

"The illusions felt so palpable that there was no way to differentiate them from reality," she continued sadly. "My mother died years ago, still she appeared before me like she'd never passed away."

Royce shuddered at that. "Look I'm sorry for stunning you-, I-," he sighed. "I guess I was afraid."

Calley nodded weakly and offered him a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "It's okay," she managed.

"There you are," Doctor Pollard said lightly as she walked up to them. "I've already informed Ensign Tilly since she had to get back to the planet."

"Informed her of what?" Portland asked curiously.

"In the light of recent events I am sure that Commander Saru has informed you that the medical field day can't be fully evaluated. The excursion will be carried out again when opportunity presents itself. However, you've all passed the medical theory and sickbay day of the course."

The three of them let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Doctor Pollard," Calley said softly.

Tracy nodded as Nhan entered the room, she quickly caught on to the conversation and walked up to them as well.

Nhan felt a little naked without her uniform. She was clad in tank top and loose-fitting workout trousers, while her curly hair was tied up in a bun.

The ensigns didn't seem to take notice of her clothes though, they straightened as much as they could. Portland gently tugged at the bottom of his uniform tunic to make sure it was straight.

"Since I am not on duty this is not a formal conversation," the Barzan explained softly. "Although I think it would please you to know that Lieutenant Lesley and Lieutenant Barnes have noted in their reports that you, after a period of time, managed to work well together. That at the end of the mission you worked as one and contributed well in your own way."

Portland discreetly elbowed Royce in the ribs and blinked at him.

"That means that you've all passed the teamwork test," Nhan informed. "Congratulations."

"Thank you ma'am," Portland said with a grin.

Tracy nodded and discreetly motioned for the Barzan to come. Satisfied that Nhan nodded back the doctor walked into her office and waited for her.

"Nhan," she said kindly as the chief of security walked into the small glass enclosed room. "How are you feeling today?"

She gave a ghost of a smile. "I will be fine, Doctor Pollard," she said.

Tracy smirked as she picked up the medical tricorder. "Interesting choice of words," she noted.

Nhan's lips curled upwards in faint amusement. "I have noticed that it's easier to get off the hook that way," she admitted.

Tracy snorted and shook her head as she took a few notes and put the tricorder away.

Nhan chuckled lightly. "Captain Pike usually says he's fine. One time I could almost hear Doctor Boyce gritting his teeth in frustration," she said fondly. "I think he'd say that on his death bed if he had the chance."

Doctor Pollard made a face. "Yes, he would," she replied. "Believe me, I know."

They shared a solemn look, then Nhan looked away, her eyes focusing on a spot at the opposite wall. "Was it really that bad?" she finally asked. She had no idea what had transpired onboard the _Discovery_ while they'd been on the planet.

Pollard gave a faint nod. "The captain's heart stopped. He exhibited no life-signs for at least a minute," she explained darkly.

Nhan refocused her attention on the doctor. "The captain and I have been through a lot together. He's the best captain I've ever served under and it has been a privilege, but I'm not comfortable to be in space for several years at a time. Too much has happened already, much of it has been classified and I can't talk about it."

Tracy nodded.

"I have been looking for a transfer," she finally said.

"Does he know?" the doctor asked carefully.

Nhan nodded. "Yes, and he understand. He always does and he's very supportive of his crew, down to the simplest crewman. That's what makes it so hard, you know, to transfer," she said sadly. "I'll compare my new commanding officer to Pike and I will get disappointed."

Tracy sighed. "When you've transferred off that ship, there is no return is there?" she guessed.

Nhan shook her head in resignation. "No, the _Enterprise_ will set out a course for deep space, maximum warp, and will not be heard of again for several years," she answered.

Tracy offered her a kind smile. "I'm afraid I can't help you with that decision," she said.

Nhan smirked. "No, I am sorry for bringing it up."

"No, no," the doctor assured her. "I'll gladly listen to anything you have to say. Now, are you still experiencing headache and dizzy spells?"

"Dizzy spells," Nhan confirmed as she carefully nodded.

"You're improving for every minute," the doctor encouraged. "I expect the dizziness to wear off in a day or two. Then I'll let you back on duty. How does that sound?"

"Wonderful," Nhan said with relief. "I'm a bit of a workaholic."

Tracy looked up from the notes before her on the desk to look at the Barzan. "What do you think he would say if you transferred to us?" she asked curiously.

The chief of security brightened at that. "I would have to ask my current commanding officer," she said cunningly – wait a minute-," she trailed off and feigned surprise. "- that would be Captain Pike."

OOOOOO

It was early morning when Michael set out for her run. She needed to clear her head more than anything after everything that had happened lately. She set a brisk pace that caused her legs to cramp with lactic acid and she gritted her teeth as she pressed on down the corridors. Everything seemed to be back to normal on the ship, well, as normal as it could be onboard the_ Discovery_.

Saru, Tilly and Doctor Culber where down on the planet, working non-stop in order to help the Araxians with the conversion and adaption to a life amongst the living. Nhan was on the mend and so was the poor ensign who'd been probed by the aliens. Her brother had locked himself up in his quarters, claiming to be meditating, and it seemed to be hope for Ash again after their latest conversation. She smiled fondly at the memory and she really did appreciate his supportiveness and friendship, even though she at one time had wished for more. The only person she hadn't been able to speak to after they'd got back onboard was Captain Pike and she found that she missed their talks. She'd gotten used to be able to talk to him about everything, about opening up to him. It felt natural to trust her commanding officer again, despite having been deceived by Lorca.

Michael sighed, she didn't want to disturb him. She knew he needed plenty of rest to bounce back from everything he'd been through. Both Doctor Pollard and Doctor Culber had said that he was extremely lucky to be alive all things considered and also that she and Saru shouldn't trouble him with mundane tasks such as reports and schedules if they could avoid it for some time.

Michael grimaced and began to sprint toward the turbolift, she managed to rush through the doors just in time before they closed. She leaned back against the wall and bent over to place her hands on her thighs while panting heavily.

"_Destination,"_ the computer asked.

"Deck three," she managed. She'd had enough of running for the day.

The door pinged and she took a deep breath, trying to control her breathing and lower her pulse. She decided to walk around the deck before she hit the shower in her quarters and stopped in surprise as she rounded the corner to find a lone figure leaning against the bulkhead next to the observation window, at the end of the corridor.

"There you are," she said softly as she announced her presence and walked over to her captain. "I didn't want to disturb you earlier."

He turned toward her with a frown, his pose relaxed. "Have you been running, commander?" he asked softly, teasing her, as he stated the obvious with a twinkle in his eyes. He took in her appearance. Her skin was glistening and her clothes soaked with perspiration.

Michael studied him for a moment and broke into a smile. "It's good to see that you're feeling better, sir," she said kindly.

Pike's lips curled slightly upwards and ended up with a dimpled smile, indicating mild amusement. "Your brother voiced the same, except he expressed it differently, he was a little more admonishing," he said enigmatically.

Michael's smile widened and morphed into an amused grin as she shook her head. "I can imagine," she replied.

Pike straightened, his broad shoulders straining against the fabric of the crisp blue uniform tunic. Even though he looked healthy now, she could still see the faint lines of pain creasing his face. It reminded her that he still wasn't fully healed. She got further confirmation of that as he gently placed a hand over his injured ribs.

"I didn't know you were back on active duty," she said curiously. "I haven't received any notification from Doctor Pollard and I should have since Saru is down on the planet."

Pike smirked at that. "That is because I'm not, commander," he admitted. "I'm still confined to reading reports in my quarters."

She gave him a soft grin. "I wasn't aware that your quarters had expanded across half the deck," she teased.

"Sometimes I get lost when getting to the bathroom," he quipped.

Michael bit her lower lip and then nodded at him. "I've missed you, sir," she said.

He offered her a dimpled smile.

She grew serious all of a sudden and Pike frowned at the change in her mood.

"For a while back there I thought this what was my mother meant when I overheard the two of you speaking at Essof IV," she said.

He waited for her to continue as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"When she said she could tell you more about your future but didn't think you'd like it," she explained, upon seeing the mild look of confusion on his face.

Recognition sparked in his eyes as he nodded. "And I believe I told you once that I can't be afraid of what the future might bring?"

Michael nodded. "You did," she replied in a subdued voice. "It's just that-," she trailed off and shook her head. "I really thought I'd lost you this time."

"Hey," Pike said softly as he turned to her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know what happened to Philippa Georgiou and I know that Lorca deceived you but hear me out here. You didn't place me in that situation. You didn't send the Araxian's after me and you didn't start a mutiny behind my back –" his eyes twinkled as he gave her a dimpled smile, -"or did you?"

She laughed. "Absolutely not, sir," she assured him.

"Good, then the situations have no similarity whatsoever," he stated. "Now, if this was what your mother really meant, then it didn't turn out so bad after all, did it?"

"You have a knack for finding the bright side of everything, captain," she replied softly.

Pike nodded. "How about we get back to matters at hand?" he suggested kindly. "We need to find Leland and 'control' so that we can save the universe and all that."

"I have a feeling he will know where we are the moment _Discovery_ jumps back into known Federation space," she mused.

"All the more important that we're prepared then," he replied seriously as he started to walk down the corridor.

She fell into steps with him. "I can't help but to wonder, sir, what the Dominion really is," she said thoughtfully.

Pike shrugged. "We'll deal with that when time comes," he suggested. "If it comes."

OOOOOO

_To be continued_


	24. Epilogue

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

_Epilogue _

Three days later

Jett Reno beamed with pride and joy as she clasped her hands together in front of her. She gazed up at the large glimmering monument before her and sighed.

Several tall aliens clad in blue shimmering robes stood behind her, chatting animatedly amongst each other, all of them practicing the use of their language again.

"Are you ready for this?" she asked daringly and then, without waiting for any kind of reply, she pushed a button on a small console before her.

There was a collective audible gasp behind her as the monument sparked to life. Several rods began to glow along the four concave shaped sides of the ten-story high creation. An eerie silence spread amongst the crowd of Araxians as the sun's rays hit the top of the glistening aluminum features.

To those present from the _Discovery_ crew it was beautiful but to the Araxian population, whom had been awakened from a stasis that had stretched over eight thousand years, it was magic. It wasn't only the monument that amazed them but their surroundings as well. The inhabitants of Arax VI had awoken to find another world, devoid from the horrors of its past. The landscape was no longer barren or distorted, perished animals and people no longer lay dead on the ground. Instead, the trees were growing, plants were flourishing and the water was clean and gleaming. It meant that the ecosystem had corrected itself, it meant that somewhere pollinators were thriving and probably animals too even though none had been found on the southern continent.

Reno frowned in surprise as the holograms began to appear in front of the monument. The aliens stood ramrod straight, clad in beautifully tailored robes of various colors. Gone where the ragged souls, the emaciated people with no hope, whom they had encountered earlier on the planet. Suddenly one of the aliens detached itself from the group and began to walk toward her.

"I'll be damned," Reno muttered.

"What?" Stamets asked curiously as he studied, what he thought to be a hologram, coming closer to them. The alien was lean, his skin was toned marble white and his eyes sparkled in deep violet. The robe which he carried was so dark that it rivalled a black hole. For some reason Paul couldn't help but to think of a priest.

"The Guardian," Jett stated.

"How do you know that?" he replied skeptically and turned around to see the Araxian engineers and technicians behind them bow to the approaching man.

Reno surprisingly did the same, taking part of their customs, and Stamets followed suit.

She felt the air spark with charged particles as he came to stand opposite her and tilted his head downwards to look her.

"Commander Jett Reno," he said in a deep and smooth voice. "Thank you, on the behalf of all the people here."

The engineer straightened and gave him a smirk. "Not necessary. I live for the challenges," she replied cockily.

The Guardian studied her for a moment before he turned toward her colleague. "Commander Paul Stamets," he acknowledged.

The astromycologist straightened.

"Life works in mysterious ways," the Guardian said cryptically before he turned away and began to make his way across the field. When he'd come halfway, he simply vanished into thin air.

"How did he do that?" Reno asked curiously. "There must be some kind of force field-"

Paul shook his head gloomily. "Magic, I've never liked it," he muttered. "What did he mean anyway?"

"Get a grip," Reno admonished. "This is not a medieval society, there's technology behind it."

Paul sighed in frustration as he reached for the communicator. "I know that," he quipped. "Let's get back to the ship," he suggested. "And by the way – you lost the bet."

Reno turned to him with an indignant look on her face. "Okay, so it took a little longer than I thought to get it functional," she began.

"Nice try but you're not getting out of it," Paul said looking smug, enjoying the moment. "You'll buy me lunch, bring it to me and act civil for an entire week."

OOOOOO

Doctor Culber gently helped a slim figure, clad in an orange robe, out of the stasis pod. The Araxian gave him a weary yet respectful ghost of a smile as she straightened and took a deep breath of the fresh air. "It has been too long," she whispered as she glanced around the room with a mixture of sadness and joy.

She took a careful step forward and wobbled. Culber placed a gentle hand on her elbow to steady her. "Are you okay?" he asked kindly.

The alien nodded. "I'm sorry, doctor. I haven't used my legs for thousands of years. I am weak."

Hugh looked at her for a moment, still amazed by the fact that she'd been preserved within the field for so long and appeared so healthy. Some of them had perished a long time ago. Some had died a horrible death when certain systems had gone offline and others had simply died from the stress.

"When we ran into this room for shelter, everything was in disarray and the world had been thrown into chaos. I'd never seen such destruction before," she whispered with a forlorn expression.

He smiled kindly at her. "I'm afraid I cannot imagine what it would be like to be preserved the way you have and wake up eight thousand years later to find another world," he offered.

"Doctor Culber. I have seen glimpses of memories from the minds of your friends, passed on to me by the Guardian, I believe that my life has been an easy one compared to yours," she said softly.

"I see you've met Kaa'po," He'to noted with a fond smile as he walked up to them.

The alien woman bowed slightly to the healer to acknowledge his presence. "It's so good to see you again, master," she said.

Culber arched an eyebrow in surprise.

"Kaa'po is an excellent,-" he paused, trying to find the right word. "-I believe you'd call it a surgeon."

"Forgive me but I thought-," Culber began.

"-that we heal all our injured?" He'to interrupted with an amused smile. "Our military forces are very fond of using projectile weapons, Doctor Culber. I can't heal people and leave the bullets behind."

"I would love to understand the knowledge and methods of the healing process, He'to," Hugh said. "Unfortunately we must leave within a couple of hours."

"Doctor Culber!" Tilly shouted as she made her way over to them. "Commander Saru says we have to go."

"I believe your estimation of time needs to be adjusted, doctor," He'to said with a smirk.

"Look!" Tilly said brightly as she glanced around the now crowded room. "Isn't it amazing?"

The Araxians stood tall and proud all around them, clad in different robes with various colors.

"My goodness, we have to pop up our uniforms," Tilly noted. "Talk about being trendsetters. I mean, they looked like this eight thousand years ago while we were running around in fur."

"Ensign Tilly," Saru admonished kindly as he came to stand next to her.

"I believe that Captain Pike carried a yellow garment in our vision. His crew carried red, blue and yellow," He'to said.

Tilly's smile faded as He'to, without knowing it, reminded her about the fact that the man she'd come to respect and like so much wasn't really _her_ commanding officer. She felt a knot form deep in her stomach as she suddenly realized that someday, in the near future, Captain Pike had to return to the_ Enterprise_.

"Why the sudden long face, ensign?" Saru asked kindly.

Tilly straightened and turned to him with a plastered smile on her face. "Just overcome by emotions that's all," she replied.

"Thank you, once again," He'to said. "You will always be welcome here."

"The truth is, healer, that we might never be able to do this journey again," Saru explained. "The _Discovery_ is an experimental science vessel, developed in secrecy before the war. The drive unit is to be decommissioned until another interface has been developed. Even then, it is doubtful that this method of travel will be accepted thorough the Federation."

"If we live that long," Culber added dejectedly.

He'to looked at the trio with an enigmatic gleam in his violet eyes. "No one knows the future. Why expect the worst of it? If it is as you've told us that the 'Red Angel' knows that all sentient life will be extinct, then your expected timeline has already shifted, has it not?"

Hugh frowned. "I think you lost me there," he said.

"Of course," Tilly blurted excitedly. "Doctor Burnham started a time paradox twenty years ago."

"You know, this gives me a headache," Hugh whined.

Saru leaned toward him and blinked. "Physician heal thyself," he said with a smirk and retrieved his communicator.

"Goodbye, Starfleet," He'to said and bowed his head slightly.

Saru, Tilly and Culber watched in awe as every single Araxian, a total of near seven hundred people, in the room followed He'to's example.

OOOOOO

Onboard the_ Discovery_, in the captain's ready room, the slim and tall alien chancellor strode across the deck plates and stopped at one of the windows, overlooking the planet below.

"I'm sure we will meet again, Christopher," He'tef said with a smile.

Pike nodded as he got out of his chair and walked over to join He'tef at the window to gaze down at the greenish tinted surface of Arax VI. "I am glad to have you on our side," he said seriously.

He'tef turned to look at him. "You know where to find us. If there is anything you require, come to see us," he replied. "For you, it doesn't have to be a physical visit."

Pike's lips twitched slightly, not sure he could handle more of the kind of communication he'd had with the Talosians and the Araxians. "You have come a long way in just a few days," he noted kindly. "But you'll be busy for years to come to rebuild what you've lost."

The alien nodded as he refocused his gaze on the planet down below. "Yes," he finally admitted.

Pike began to turn around.

"Christopher," He'tef said suddenly. "Remember this; destiny cannot be predetermined. Whatever you see, whatever you do; there is _always_ a choice. You have to make that choice because no one else can do it for you."

The captain nodded, not sure why the chancellor felt compelled to say that. "I am afraid I don't understand," he said softly.

He'tef gave him a ghost of a smile. "There is something about you, Christopher, that makes you special. I don't have the gift to tell you what that might be but one day all the pieces of the puzzle will fall into place and you will understand."

The captain nodded skeptically.

He'tef stretched out his hand, surprising Pike for a moment before he took it and gave it a shake. "I believe this is an earth custom to greet others, is it not?" he said.

There was a twinkle in his eyes as he nodded. "Yes", Pike said.

"Very well then, till we meet again, Christopher," he said and vanished into thin air.

Pike stared after him for a moment._ Discovery_ didn't have the means of transporting someone to the surface of the planet from his ready room.

He'tef's voice suddenly floated in his mind. _"We are a powerful race, Christopher, we have means to travel and means to protect ourselves beyond your comprehension. We're allies now, not enemies, your passage will be safe. You're part of our prophecy. I have no doubt that your 'Red Angel' will succeed in her mission. The turn of events might not play out in her favor but this is not the end." _

Pike staggered as He'tef was truly gone and he had to steady himself. Whether he liked to admit it or not; he was still weakened by recent events. He placed his hands on the desk top and closed his eyes for a brief moment. He didn't know what to make of the Araxians but for some reason he got the feeling that they were timekeepers, that they knew a lot more than they let on. He'tef had left him with a feeling of victory that he could not explain. He stared out through the window as the sound of Black Alert sounded across the ship and wondered if he'd ever see the Araxians again.

OOOOOO

_The end _

_A/N: Thank you, wonderful people, for the follows and the favs. For all the PMs and the lovely feedback, I've received. It's been a joy to write something for you to read! This story has been revised and supplemented with a bonus chapter June 2020 – enjoy!_


	25. Mojave

**Chapter Twenty-Five***

_Mojave _

_USS Enterprise_, botany bay, two hundred and seven days later.

Christopher Pike walked into the botany department and inhaled deeply as the doors closed behind him. The fresh scents of flowers, the smell of the newly cut lawn nearby and the rustling of the wind in the crown of trees was slowly soothing his nerves. He strolled down the road and then skittered over a meadow, crossed a small river and continued on the road for a while until he reached an area which had been labeled the North America section.

After _Discovery_ had left for the future, he had finally been able to get back to Earth and his home in Mojave. He hadn't realized how long overdue the visit had been as he'd stepped out of the city hall transporter, inhaled the hot air and seen the sand dunes of the desert far away in the distance.

He had thought he'd be able to get back home earlier; after that strange first contact back in the nebula, long before the Federation-Klingon war. Instead he'd had to sign on to another ship while the _Enterprise_ had been taken back to space dock for repairs under Una's supervision. It wasn't until he'd sat down on the porch at his parents' house that he realized how exhausted he really was. As he sat there, propped up against one of the stable wooden columns that supported the roof, his façade cracked. After everything he'd been through, after keeping up appearances for so long, he came apart in his seams. Had Kat lived to this moment she would have said he was suffering from PTSD and he probably did; she was one of the many reasons for it.

The young ensigns, the cadets, even the more seasoned officers; they looked at him like he was some kind of hero but he was nothing more than a human; a man who'd seen too much lately. He'd received medals, enough so that he could cover his entire chest with them if he wanted, but they held no meaning to him.

He valued people. He believed in sacrifice, love and compassion, he believed in the service; in Starfleet. But he was tired, so very tired nowadays. As he'd been riding one of the many horses still kept in the stable, he'd began to feel alive again but when he'd reined in his horse and stopped to stare at the sunset, silhouetting the large city of Mojave, he was unable to see the beauty in it. He was afraid that if he let go of all the horrors which he'd seen during his many missions lately, he would dishonor those who'd died; those who'd sacrificed their lives for him.

His parents had been very understanding, glad that he was home again, but they could see that he was troubled, that he had a lot to process. They never pushed him, they let him talk when he wanted to talk, let him have his privacy when he needed it. He was grateful to have such wonderful family around him and he was relieved to be able to spend time with all the animals. The fact that everyone treated him like an ordinary person, like a friendly neighbor instead of a Starfleet officer was gratifying to him. Mojave had always been a place of tranquility, a place where he could feel at home and not forced to make life and death decisions on an almost daily basis.

"You look troubled," Una said softly as she walked up to stand next to him in the botany bay.

Chris was brought out of his musings of home and gave her a faint smile. "I was miles away," he admitted.

His first officer and friend nodded. "I know," she replied and sighed as she followed his gaze across the greenery. "I always love to come here, just to breathe; to forget the coldness of space outside."

He turned to her, knowing there was more to this conversation.

"You know, with everything that has been going on, even when the ship was laid up for repairs, we've never had a chance to catch up."

His chuckle was bittersweet as he shook his head. "If I was about to admit to you that I broke apart the moment I returned home to Mojave you would say-,"

"-I told you so," she finished for him and broke into a genuine but slightly concerned smile. "No one, not even you, Chris, can carry everything on your shoulders."

He sighed as he sat down in the grass. She followed suit. They sat there, shoulder to shoulder, none of them saying anything for a while.

"I don't know where to begin, Una," he said in a subdued voice.

"Follow the directions, Christopher Pike," she said, smiling enigmatically as she turned to him.

He turned to her, his lips twitching faintly upwards at her words. "Yeah, those things," he mused. "I recall how they practically invaded the saucer section; using your command codes, and how they communicated using your voice."

"I have to ask. Forgive me if it sounds childish to you," Una began. "Was it fun to ride the saucer section upside down, skirting across that pool of liquid and up in the air until you reached space again?"

He actually laughed at that, amusement clouding his blue eyes. It was typical of Una to ask such a thing. "You would have like that," he admitted. "It was an invigorating ride."

"Well, you can't do it again, at least not without me," she replied with a smirk. "For months I believed you were dead, Chris. I was not ready to take command of this ship."

He gave her a long face. "Imagine what I thought when I saw you and your new friend wrapped around your body," he countered, "-trying to sacrifice yourself in the line of duty."

"No," she protested. "I was only trying to communicate with it. Unfortunately, it got a little clingy."

He snorted at that. "Well, if I can't run around with the saucer section, you can't make new clingy friends."

They shared a laugh at that.

"You know," Una finally said as the laughter had died out. "Whatever happened onboard the _Discovery_, you can talk about it with me. I know you miss them. I know I would too, if I'd been spending several months with them only to lose them to an unknown future."

Chris shook his head sadly. "It's wrong, Una. Starfleet pictures us as heroes while it's them who's made the ultimate sacrifice in order to save the rest of us," he whispered. "I didn't need another medal."

"Then imagine you wear it for them," she said. "That you carry it proudly as a reminder of what they did; it is enough that you know what happened."

"Yeah," he whispered.

"Now, tell me about the Araxians," she said seriously. "I remember vividly what they did to you the first time; what they did to this ship."

He looked at her in surprise. "How-,"

She made an innocent face. "Since you weren't around, poor Phil had to complain to somebody," she reasoned. "To tell you the truth, I was pretty upset with you after being told of your experiences in the Gamma Quadrant."

"To even think there are more species like the Talosians out there," he mused.

"I am not so sure they're anything like the Talosians, Chris," she said kindly. "I've read the report but I know from experience how much is left out of those."

"Sometimes, I am not sure whether or not I've dreamt everything," he admitted. "It scares me, Una, not to be able to distinguish reality from illusions. "Sometimes I don't know-, I don't know if this is real or another illusion. Sometimes I wake up at nights, wondering if I'm still back at Talos IV."

She looked at him with a mixture of concern and affection. "I can assure you, Chris, this is real."

"I want to believe you-,"

"Then choose to do so; it's as simple as that," she reasoned as she gently squeezed his shoulder.

A moment of silence past between them.

"Do you know why I hate holograms?" he asked suddenly. "Because they remind me of illusions, of things that aren't real; things that shouldn't be real. I have enough problem with reality as it is. The events at Arax VI only strengthened my disdain for them."

"Then you wouldn't like the idea of the new type of recreation rooms which is going to be included to ships layout in a few years," she teased cunningly. "Apparently it is to be called a holodeck. The idea is that you'll run a program, of your own choosing, that lets you walk into a completely different word and live out your fantasies."

Chris shuddered at the mere thought of it.

Una laughed amusedly as she gently nudged his ribs. "Come on, tell me about the Araxians. You could at least tell me exactly why they tried to blow us to bits and pieces back there. I was present; remember?"

"What do you want to know?" he answered.

She made a face. "The basics, the details; everything. Just so that I can look after my captain and friend properly in the future."

OOOOOO

_*To understand part of the discussion between Chris and Una, it helps if you've read 'The Enterprise War'._


End file.
